Black Appraisals of Black Lives Matter: Part I
Black Perspectives on Black Lives Matter: Thomas Sowell, Walter E. Williams, Shelby Steele, Ben Carson, Robert L. Woodson, Clarence Henderson, Brandon Tatum, Damani Bryant Felder, Star Parker, Darrell Scott and Morgan Freeman.
Black Appraisals of Black Lives Matter: Part I
Soeren Kern | Gatestone Institute | September 15, 2020
This multi-part series (Part I here, Part II here, Part III here, Part IV here) focuses on the perspectives of blacks — conservative, liberal or libertarian — who appraise BLM and its agenda. The following selection of commentary by blacks from all walks of life — actors, athletes, business people, civil rights activists, clergy, commentators, physicians and politicians — demonstrates that black public opinion is not monolithic, and that BLM does not speak for all African Americans.
Thomas Sowell, economist and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, noted:
“If not a single policeman killed a single black individual anywhere in the United States for this entire year, that would not reduce the number of black homicide victims by one percent. When the mobs of protesters declare ‘black lives matter,’ does that mean ALL black lives matter — or only the less than one percent of black lives lost in conflicts with police?
“We keep hearing that ‘black lives matter,’ but they seem to matter only when that helps politicians to get votes, or when that slogan helps demagogues demonize the police. The other 99% of black lives destroyed by people who are not police do not seem to attract nearly as much attention in the media.”
