Though it may sound like an innocent call to action, All Lives Matter perpetuates racism and white supremacy by attempting to rename and dismantle the Black Lives Matter movement.

White people created the phrase All Lives Matter as a corrective response to the Black Lives Matter movement after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin Feb. 26, 2012.

Those preaching All Lives Matter fail to acknowledge their white privilege, and in fact, reinforce white supremacy.

White people can afford to take away the race component of Black Lives Matter because they have the privilege to do so. This colorblind attitude perpetuates racism by failing to acknowledge systemic inequalities. Racism needs to be addressed before it  can be dismantled.

All Lives Matter assumes black people can be racist and can eliminate the meaning of non-black lives. However, people of color face oppression through institutionalized racism, preventing them from being racist toward white people.

Racism involves both power and prejudice. White people can’t experience racism because people of color don’t have the institutional power to be racist. Therefore, the statement Black Lives Matter does not have the power behind it to take away the value of a white person’s life.

Black Lives Matter doesn’t suggest nobody else’s lives matter. Instead, it suggests the black community faces problems that the government fails to address.

No one disputes the importance of white lives, but when police continue to shoot and kill unarmed black people without justice, it becomes obvious they don’t value black lives as highly.

According to The Guardian, police officers killed more than six black people for every million black residents in the United States in 2015. Black Lives Matter tries to establish the fact that black lives are equally as important as white lives.

These represent just a few examples of media demonizing black victims while making excuses for white suspects.

All Lives Matter is not a real movement. It simply attempts to dismantle the efforts of a powerful black rights movement. No one organizes All Lives Matter rallies. No one pours into the streets fighting for the All Lives Matter movement.

Additionally, the media honors white lives, portraying white suspects and killers more favorably in headlines than black victims. For example, when George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, NBC News ran a headline stating “Trayvon Martin was suspended three times from from school.” However, when Jared Michael Padgett killed a classmate and injured a teacher at his high school before taking his own life June 11, 2014, Fox News ran the following headline “Oregon school shooting suspect fascinated with guns but was a devoted Mormon, his friends said.”

Those who truly care about all lives can show support for the lives that society does not value and join the Black Lives Matter movement.

Students need to keep themselves informed about police brutality and support Black Lives Matter by attending fundraisers, meetings and protests organized for the movement.