Justice

Hashtag Is Turning the Tables on 'All Lives Matter'

July 11th 2016

In the days following the killings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, a new hashtag is going viral on Twitter.

#AllLivesDidntMatter

The hashtag is a twist on the phrase "all lives matter," which is sometimes used as a dismissive response to the Black Live Matter movement. Trevor Noah summed it up quite well:

"You know the hardest part of having a conversation surrounding police shootings in America? It always feels like in America, it’s like, if you take a stand for something, you automatically are against something else. It’s such a strange world to be in."

Or, to use a metaphor, like this brilliant tweet:

But for those still not getting it, #AllLivesDidntMatter might help.

In using the hashtag, the question many are implicitly posing is: "if 'all lives' matter, then why did (this) injustice happen?" In some cases, it's not just about the literal loss of a life. Here are some of the ways it's being used.

If nothing else, the hashtag makes it abundantly clear that the "all lives matter" argument is not resonating with those who advocate for black lives. 

Share your opinion

Have you ever taken part in a Twitter hashtag trend?

Yes 34%No 66%