Black Lives Matter.

You know how you might sometimes relive conversations years after they’ve finished (I realize not all people do this, but imagine, if you will)? You think I wish I said this differently or I should have listened better. One such conversation I relive nearly 15 years after the fact centered around racism. Specifically, it was an argument I had with my closest friend at the time as to whether it still existed. I insisted that we were way past racism, that society knows better now, that the fact that there were affluent Blacks and poor Whites meant that systemic racism died years ago. My friend, who is mixed-race, of course countered that racism was not dead. How did the argument end? We were at an impasse and never discussed it again.

I cringe every time I think back to that conversation. I was ignorant. I had never seen racism manifest in front of me. If it had, I didn’t notice because it was never directed at me. As far as I knew, racism was something from our history books. It was conquered with the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King.

I now know better. I’ve learned since leaving the privileged little bubble I’d grown up in that the world is so much bigger than what I had seen or experienced. I know how privileged I am just by being white. I try not to beat myself up too much for being an ignorant kid, but the thing is, my friend was trying to open my eyes to the truth—to her truth—and I refused to see it because it made me uncomfortable. I wish I had listened—really listened back then.

I never have to worry about someone shooting me for jogging or walking around my neighborhood. No one has ever followed me around in a store. I always believed the police are here to protect me and never witnessed anything to make me question that fact. I’ve never been the subject of racial profiling. But, just because it is not my reality doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

There is no denying that racism still exists in this country. One might think that he’s not harming anyone by denying its existence, but that’s how white supremacists win. That’s how countless lives are ripped away without any real repercussions. When we stay silent about injustices, we permit them to continue. If one truly believes all lives matter, he’d stand for justice—for all.

We are all human—image bearers of God. Skin color, hair type, height, weight, culture, sex, political party, geographical location, health, religion, brain chemistry—these do not change this fact. Humanity has been stripped away from various peoples throughout the ages. In our sin, and to our shame, we’ve marginalized “others” based off looks, beliefs, upbringing—you name it. The “us” v. “them” mentality—the division—does more harm than good (if any good at all). Every human, whether we disagree with them or just don’t like how they look, deserves dignity and respect. Every. Single. Life. Matters.

So, if I were to go back and change that conversation I had years ago, I’d shut up and listen to my friend. I would tell her that her points were valid and admit that I’m no authority on racism. I’d say that I have no clue of the struggle many people face each day. I’d say “sorry,” and maybe I would have learned all this sooner.