“A conversation where all voices are heard does not start on a white board”

I was fourteen, a high school freshman, the first time I confronted an upperclassman about his flawed reasoning for flying a Confederate flag behind his truck. He was apathetic to my concerns. Amongst the future property damage, cyber bullying, and personal slander, his was far from the last hate speech I’d bear witness to. So, I was not shocked when I saw inhospitable rhetoric posted on a whiteboard in my own resident hall last Wednesday.

Written on a resident’s whiteboard were the words “All Live Matter,” to which she later added, “don’t erase – if you disagree, please knock for a civil discussion.” The sentiment that “All Lives Matter” is clear hate speech and therefore should be publicly challenged.

First, I concur that the First Amendment Right protects speech, which includes oratory that could be categorized as “hate speech.” I believe that Chief Justice Roberts, in his deliverance of the opinion of the court in Snyder v. Phelps (2011), represents this standing well by stating that “as a nation we have chosen . . . to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate.” So, let’s heed his advice to not curb public debate. A student at CSB has voiced their belief that all lives matter.

However, this statement engages conversation in blatant disregard for the experience of BIPOC, apathy to the active and daily violence against black bodies in our nation, and it dismisses the relentless racist history of the United States. The remark that all lives matter is active hate speech because our history, the testimonies, and the statistics each boldly proclaim that all lives do not matter. The First Amendment grants us all the invaluable gift of a voice to speak for what we believe and against what we do not. It is under our own discretion to use this gift to either speak hate or speak against it.

As students entering into the public sphere, we must be aware of our bias and informed on how to cultivate an inclusive space for all voices. A conversation where all voices are heard does not start on a white board. It does not start with a racist remark. Accordingly, I will not be knocking on your door for a “civil discussion.”