This is an insight written by Meredith Friedland on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Lecture by Professor Yohuru Williams on “Simply Because People Refuse to See Me: Black Lives Matter in Historical Context” held on February 8, 2022.
“At the core what we crave at the very minimum is simply a recognition of our humanity”. This phrase stuck with me when listening to Dr. Williams talk, Simply Because People Refuse to See Me: Black Lives Matter in Historical Context.
We are all human. Black, White, Asian, Latino no matter the race we are all human and therefore are supposed to be given the same basic human rights. Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence wrote, that all men are created equal and entitled to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. However, “all men” really meant white Christians and did not apply to women or men of other races or religions.
I see this same pattern still occurring today. Dr. Williams touches on this in his presentation about the All Lives Matter response to Black Lives Matter. Seemingly on the surface, you may assume this movement promotes the ideology that all lives matter despite race, religion, or sexual orientation. However, the foundation of this emerged as a rejection of the Black Lives Matter Movement. To once again try and discredit and dismiss Black people in their fight for justice and equality.
Groups of people discrediting others’ hardships and basic humanity is a constant pattern we see in the United States. People are so quick to tear down others, grouping people together, making generalizations, and failing to see individuals for who they are at their core, humans. The biggest mystery to me is why do those who have experienced oppression go on to discriminate against other groups of people?
This concept is shown in this image shown by Dr. Williams. You see Irish, German, Italian, and African American citizens lynching a Chinese man. You would think a person in a minority group who has experienced prejudice would allow you to empathize with others who are being discriminated against. However, instead, we see people with their own battles against racism harming another human.
We must begin to recognize and appreciate that all those around us are similar to ourselves. People with different backgrounds deserve just as much of a chance to tell their stories as you do. Who are we as humans on this Earth to tell another that they are not worthy of the right to live based on their skin color? Why does it take the bloodshed of another for you to see that their blood is as red as yours? I hope that in the near future the questions of whether or not someone deserved to die will cease. I hope the invalidation of another’s hardships comes to an end. If you can’t join the fight to reach complete equality at the very least I ask that you recognize the common humanity of the people that walk this Earth.
About the Author:
Meredith Friedland is a junior at the University of Maryland majoring in Marketing and minoring in Technology Entrepreneurship. Meredith is the Social Media and Marketing Intern at the Bahá’í Chair for World Peace. After college, she hopes to travel the world and learn more about different countries and cultures. Meredith wants to combine her interest in business with her passion for helping others.