Black lives matter? Yes.

Blue lives matter? Of course.

All lives matter? Well, yes, but…

…it is wildly disingenuous to trot out this statement in the face of a cultural protest movement instigated by a history of systemic oppression and literal enslavement. The words might be true, but that doesn’t make the argument morally correct for the context.

If you’ve been degraded, or you’ve been hurt; if you have experienced the shock of unwarranted hate, or the rage of being silenced:

Your life matters.

And, in fact, regardless of who you are, where you came from, the color of your skin, your political leanings, where or whether you choose to worship, et cetera and ad infinitum:

Your life matters.

So does your neighbor’s. So does your enemy’s.

Your life matters.

We all want to be safe.

We all react when we feel threatened.

We all deserve a voice.

We all deserve at least that much respect.