Did the Black Lives Matter movement impact your understanding of racism in the US and if so, in what ways? Have you had conversations with friends or relatives about the movement in recent years? What were those conversations like?

Did the Black Lives Matter movement impact your understanding of racism in American and if so, in what ways? Have you had conversations with friends or relatives about the movement in recent years, and if so, what were those conversations like?

Boy, it sure did. It was quite the wake-up call from a number of standpoints. First there was this feeling that our country was on the right track with the election of Barack Obama. As a middle-class white woman, I have to admit part of me thought that racism had finally become a thing of the past. The BLM movement made me realize just how wrong I was.

I also misunderstood the concept of "white privilege." My parents struggled economically, and so I thought that meant I didn't grow up privileged. I only realized as a result of BLM that I am, indeed, the beneficiary of white privilege. My parents weren't discriminated against when it came to housing or employment, so they were able to move to a neighborhood with a good public school system, which in turn allowed me to attend college. I know now that many deserving Black children wouldn't have had that advantage.

The conversations I had with relatives about this was shocking. They were so closed minded! They just didn't want to hear that yes, they were privileged because of their race. It was pretty sad, actually.

I actually started questioning how we had not progressed quite as much as we should have in 2012 during the Trayvon Martin story. BLM which started with George Floyd, I believe, and every murder of black youths since, seems to be revealing that we have more serious issues than we believed until now. It reminds me of the Jim Crow south. So much going on "under the covers."

I can so relate to what kimk said about white privilege and trying to discuss this with family members who want to ignore these facts. Unfortunately, I have a brother who now will not speak with me, all prompted by the fact that I told him something he said was a racial comment. I know that many of the things I unconsciously have said were said out of ignorance and I am embarrassed when these are pointed out to me but I appreciate learning so that I don’t continue to say such things. Unfortunately, not everyone is open to such learning.
The Black Lives Matter prompted so many cover-ups by whites with ideas like All Lives Matter. Of course they do - so why do Black boys have to be warned about how to act if stopped by the police? I never warned my white sons abou’t event this as I assumed that they would be treated according to their actions not their skin color. Yes, all lives matter but some should not matter more than others.

Yes. It did impact my understanding of racism in the United States. My Sunday School class read several books on the subject to help us in our education of social justice, which led to very meaningful discussions. Some of the books we read were How the Word Is Passed by Clint Smith, I’m Black. I’m Christian. I’m Methodist. edited by Rudy Rasmus, Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman, Reconstructing the Gospel by Jonathan Wilson-Hargrove, and White Fragility and Nice Racism by Robin Diangelo. I also read The Accommodations: The Politics of Race in an American City by Jim Schultze that was not part of my Sunday School study. Although the book is about Dallas, I’m sure that it represents many cities.

I so appreciate the comments that the four posters above my name have made. Thanks for sharing. I think it is unfortunate that the concept of “defund the police” was so misunderstood, and led to “blue lives matter” which as ritah states was a cover-up or for me, a dog whistle.
During this time period my African American daughter and son-in-law moved into an upscale majority white neighborhood. Their next door neighbors were extremely welcoming and helpful to them. However, a few months later a “Blue Lives Matter” sign was posted in the neighbor’s yard and not too long after that the neighbors announced they were moving. They claimed that they had already made the decision but it really worried my daughter that she was the reason for the moves. They have lived there 5 years now and feel part of the neighborhood but mainly through school parent neighbors.