Since the bricks-and mortar congregation I serve first affirmed that Black Lives Matter and hung a banner with those words, we have had a steady stream of push-back to that phrase.

 Most of the people who object do so in anonymous letters and phone calls, and most of them argue that we should affirm instead that “all lives matter.” This is the public response I wrote to those people. Perhaps you, too, will find this helpful.

Of course all lives matter to us. Respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person is the very first principle of Unitarian Universalism. And yet, all lives are not equally threatened by violence in our society. To simply state that “all lives matter” ignores the very real inequities faced by many.

It is easy to issue a blanket condemnation of all violence. It is harder to realize that a good deal of that violence is tied to systems and institutions that must be changed or dismantled.

It is easy to say that all relationships should be free of violence. It is harder to understand that the victims of domestic violence are overwhelmingly women, and that the misogyny in our society contributes to every blow.

It is easy to say that all children are precious. It is harder to understand that LGBTQ+ youth are given such negative messages about their self worth that they are six times more likely than straight or cisgender youth to attempt suicide.

It is easy to say that we value a diverse society with people from all nations and ethnicities. It is harder to understand the anti-immigrant bigotry behind calls to separate and isolate poorer, browner schools filled with children of immigrants from wealthier (and mostly white) ones.

It is also easy to say that no one should be shot dead for a broken taillight. It is harder to understand that systemic racism leads us to a reality where unarmed Black men are seven times more likely than unarmed white men to be killed by police in a traffic stop.

I do not blame individual officers for this. I would imagine that there are very few police officers who signed up for their jobs with the explicit intent to perpetuate the racism built into our society. And yet, once you look at the reality of policing in this country, it’s clear that is overwhelmingly what is happening. The white supremacy baked into our society is endemic also in institutions given power and weapons by our state.

“Black Lives Matter” is a declaration that an emergency exists, not a statement that we value one race more than another. The emergency is that the lives of our Black siblings are being taken at an alarming rate in a society that systematically devalues them. The killing must stop. The dehumanization must stop.

All lives cannot matter until Black lives matter.

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Rev. Dr. Michael Tino

Lead Ministry Team at Church of the Larger Fellowship

Michael Tino (they/them) is a minister with over 20 years experience in congregational and denominational work. Michael has served the UU Fellowship of Northern Westchester as its minister since 2007, and before that served six years as the UUA Director of Young Adult and Campus Ministry. Before becoming a UU religious professional, Michael was a cell biologist; they hold a Ph.D. from Duke University in that field. Michael’s service to our faith has included a term on the UUA Board of Trustees, where they led the Board’s work to have our Association repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, and leadership roles in Allies for Racial Equity, the Southeast UU Summer Institute, the Ohio River Group minister’s study group, and the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, on which they currently serve. Originally from New York City, Michael now lives in Peekskill, NY, with their husband Eric and their seven-year-old daughter, Nora.

Latest posts by Rev. Dr. Michael Tino (see all)

• On Covenant and Accountability - September 11, 2024
• Fully Accessible and Inclusive - May 9, 2024
• Love Demands A Permanent Ceasefire Now - March 11, 2024