White Silence is White Violence

Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a non-violent civil disobedience 

movement in protest against incidents of police brutality against Afro-American people. 

In 2013, this movement began with the use of the hashtag 

#BlackLivesMatter on social media after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

Earlier BLM had staged street demonstrations in 2004 following the deaths of two African Americans resulting in protests and unrest in Ferguson, a city near St. Louis and Eric Garner in New York City.

In the summer of 2015, Black Lives Matter activists became involved in the 2016 United States presidential election. 

The movement returned to national headlines and gained further international attention during the global George Floyd protests in 2020 following Floyd's death by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

George Cries of “I can’t breathe, man”, and “Please, let me stand. Please man” had stirred the conscience of entire US and UK – triggering violent protests against Police Brutality of the Blacks and Racial Discrimination and White Supremacy practiced by the US Police.

Recent Events protesting the police brutality in murdering George Floyd had turned violent with uprooting many statues of ‘slave trade masters’ at many States of US which included even Washington DC.

‘White Silence is White Violence’ means – White had not come out whole heartedly to support ‘Black Lives Matter’ as perceived by the Blacks. “Silence is Betrayal,” and “Neutrality helps the Oppressor, Never the Victim” have also gained momentum in the recent protests. The Black Protestors wanted the Whites that Instead of saying, ‘black people dying is terrible, but the looting must stop’, say, ‘the looting is terrible, but the killing of black people must stop’. Change your perspective.

The Blacks had a point to accuse the Whites on the ground that George’s murder had reopened the collective wounds of Black trauma which have been left to fester for far too long. Black people around the globe have been choking under the grip of racism for centuries, murdered by the police brutality and systemic oppression that are facilitated by white silence. The Blacks had grouse against the Whites that they had failed to use their privilege and platforms to openly condemn racism and amplify Black voices.

They strongly believe that wounds will never start to heal unless those with privilege and power start caring less about being uncomfortable and more about human decency and dignity.

Blacks grudge is that the whites did nothing, they made space for Police Brutalities to happen. Blacks are of the view that White’s Silence in not condemning and supporting Blacks Protests had emboldened Police to continue on their brutalities against the Blacks.

When anger around George Floyd’s murder spilled out of Minneapolis onto streets across the U.S. and over the border, and fury swept across social media, some people – read the Whites were conspicuously silent. It’s time for white people to stop putting their own feelings ahead of Black lives. To be silent is to allow the status quo to continue — to choose white comfort and privilege over racial equality. It is to be noted that equal rights for others does not mean less rights for you.

Blacks have come to the point where they feel – “Enough is Enough!”, "No justice, no peace!" and "No racist police!" and if they are not getting support from the Whites, they feel insecure and start expressing their anger through riots, pulling down of statues, arson, violence and destructions of shops etc.

The Blacks feel that it is wrong and cruel, if one draws attention to looting and rioting without ever condemning ongoing police brutality against BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

So it’s not surprising that we are seeing people rebelling against ideas that are represented by these statues today.

Pulling down of around 50 statues in US is historic – whether you approve or like it. It happened in the recent past.

Why this happened?

One section of the people has reasoned thus: “Such Statues are Monuments to white supremacy which represent past painful memories the removal of which will undo historic blunder.

I don’t think we can say that destruction is always warranted or that destruction is never warranted.

It’s a very satisfying way of attacking an idea — not just by rejecting but humiliating it.

These protesters are attacking symbols of a hateful past as part of fighting for a peaceful future.”

When confronted – Whether these destructions of monuments were similar to ISIS’s destruction at Palmyra, the answer was: “Theirs were akin to destroying a tolerant past in order to achieve a future of violence and hate, but, the Blacks’ action was to get justice against police injustice.

If you object to the desecration and destruction of statues of slavery, Kehinde Andrews, a professor of black studies at Birmingham City University said: ‘Statues are not about history; statues are about a certain version of history.”

So it’s not surprising that we are seeing people rebelling against ideas that are represented by these statues today. The irony of historic preservation is that history itself is a process of creative destruction.

Having said everything positive about the Blacks Movement to get Justice to them from Police Brutality, let us hear the other side to have a balanced outlook.

Read the comments below:

1. "What is happening to our society? A renewed national movement to heal memories and correct the injustices of racism and police brutality in our country has been hijacked by some into a movement of violence, looting and vandalism."

2. White Silence is not really violence in almost any realistic sense, it is mostly just an attempt at compelled speech. The slogan “White Silence is Violence” is therefore best understood as an emotional manipulation by people who want you to understand the world in their particular way and to push their particular form of activism, which most of them directly benefit from, no matter what the costs to the rest of us.

3. Statue of Francis Scott Key who wrote the U.S. national anthem “Star Spangled Banner” was torn down. A bust of Ulysses Grant, who was the U.S. president after he was the general who finally beat the Confederates and ended the Civil War was also targeted by the protesters of ‘Blacks Lives Matter.’  

4. Democrats control the city council in the city that George Floyd was killed in. Why Democrats had not reformed the police forces? Further though the city had more whites than blacks, still, the elected Governor is Black. Hence it is quite revealing that whites had preferred a black which goes to show that there is no racial prejudices at least in that city.

In fine, if the Blacks have their own justifications for their actions – which include riots, violence, vandalism, their silence to these lawlessness and undemocratic traits in all fairness can also be termed as violence.

Their demand of ‘Defund Police’ may jeopardize the peace of the land, as the Law and Order will be at peril. The creation of Social Force instead may not be non-partial, as its main aim may be to protect “Blacks” and it may in all likelihood lead to “White Lives Matter”.

Further it should not lead to “Black Police” and “White Police” or reservations on the basis of colour in order to render justice to the Blacks by the US Police.

In conclusion, Violence is No Solution. Blacks to expect Whites or for that matter anybody to break silence to support Blacks ignoring their violence is unethical and undemocratic.

“Riots are our Rights” mentality for any group is dangerous for the progressive advanced democratic country like US.

But, White being in a privileged position should understand the pains of Black and try to remove them with love and affection which will go a long way.

Let the paths laid down by Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King be tread by the Whites and Black shoulder to shoulder to make America free from Racial Discrimination.  

HAIL UNITY OF BLACKS AND WHITES TO CURB RACISM.

JAI HO AMERICA.