Black Kids Matter

I watched the documentary “College Behind Bars” by Lynn Novick and Ken Burns this week, showing the results of the Bard Prison Initiate, in New York State, with prisoners studying for college degrees. Inspiring, but heartbreaking when you think of the incarcerated majority who won’t get the chance. Well worth a look. “ Turns around lives and saves taxpayer’s money.”
Checking Wiki, I see that San Quentin has a College Education Project.

Dreadful, inhumane places ( like a British prisons, which I’ve seen the inside of ). He may well point an accusatory finger!

An integral part of the BLM movement is sentencing reform and prison justice.
Although African Americans and Latinos comprise 29% of the U.S. population, they make up 57% of the U.S. prison population. This results in imprisonment rates for African-American and Hispanic adults that are 5.9 and 3.1 times the rate for white adults, respectively—and at far higher levels in some states.Notably, these disparities exist for both the least and most serious offenses:
www.sentencingproject.org/publications/un-report-on-racial-disparities

HFF and a healthy weekend.

The young boy was accusative... ALL LIVES MATTER, whatever the colour of the skin is. We are equal in duties and in rights.
HFF Sarah

As I posted previously (trying to make my point subtly) "when people ask to "Save the Bees" they don't get the response to "Save ALL insects!"

It is Black Lives that are threatened (especially but not only here in the USA), that's why we bring attention to it. It does not mean other lives don't matter, of course they do. It means *Black people are under attack in a way other people do not experience.*
Ask any Black person for their experience of racism.
Yes, this young boy is accusing us. He says "pay attention!" "Listen to the voices of black people first before making up your own story."

I agree but disagree. I agree with all your words above but I think that the "Black lives matter" is a provocation to racism, to increase it, to provoke even more the KKK or white supremacy adepts and therefore to lead them to more violence as reaction.
By saying that all lives matter equaly we consider all humans whatever their colour, age, etc are.
Hope my words are clear, as I am not perfect in English...

I want to add something about me, so there will be no doubt about my ideals. I am a “weird white”, like some friends tells me joking. My blood is a mix of Jew (so semitic, as arabs), south American Indian and Chinese.
I can also claim justice for Jews exterminated by Catholic Holy Inquisition, by Hitler and Staline, for Indians aslaved by white settlers in the past and still treated as people who does not matter nowadays, for Chinese dominated by British and later by Japanese... so... ALL LIVES MATTER

I appreciate your response, and I understand what you are saying. Yes, any slogan will provoke a counter-reaction, and this will happen no matter what the slogan is.
Please understand that here in the US, if you say "All Lives Matter" it will sound like you are denying the validity of the very specific upraising against racism that is happening now. I understand that this is not your intention, but it will sound like you are trying to minimize the particular and unique suffering that Black people have experienced.
Of course, many different groups have experienced very real discrimination and racism. But right now, at this particular time, there are some very strong reasons why Black people, especially in the USA, feel threatened.
My husband is Jewish and I could not be more aware of the historic persecution of Jews, but that is not happening right now, not in the USA or in (most) places in Europe. Police are not targeting and killing Jews at this time, but they are targeting and killing Black people. That's why the slogan is "BlackLivesMatter" -- because too many times, it seems, their lives don't seem to matter, and this has been going on ever since the days of slavery.

So -- in a general way, yes, of course, all lives matter. Right not at this particular historical moment, Black people are simply emphasizing that their lives ALSO matter, because they have been excluded for too long.

I hope this makes some sense, and maybe we will continue to disagree, but I am just trying to explain what I hear from my Black friends.

I appreciate the "most places" about Jews persecution in Europe, so you are aware it is happening, raising specially in some countries like France because of the high % of integrist muslims they have. Friends from Paris told me that in their community there is a deep thought going on about emigrating to North America...
But back to Black people, of course we are not aware of everything they are going through in the USA as we dont have the same % here... but people in Europe raise their voices too and in here we really could say "All lives matter"... in some areas where poor old white people lived they had to move because they were ostracized and bullyed by arriving no white people, sort as "leave or die, this place is no more for you because it is ours".
So racism is not an one way road... My Indian native relatives still suffer the same treatment in Brazil, who cares?
One thing nobody states is why police arrested G. Floyd, who was he and what has he done or supposed to? Can you answer that? Nothing justifies the way it was done but there might be there an explanation: fear induces brutality when one is too much confronted with it.
Police is brutal almost everywhere, I suffered it myself as I have been arrested for political reasons before our 1974 revolution (we were a fascist country with the corresponding regime) and I know better than most what they are capable of...
On the other side I have a friend who is a policeman, she tells me that they are afraid to enter some parts of suburbs in Lisboa because they are attacked even when they just patrol... and fear is not a good advisor...
Humanity still has a long way to go... but I doubt tolerance will win, it is human nature, we are animals after all, programmed to put one's survival first...
Only fear of laws can restrain that, but we dont want totalitarism, so there is no easy solution...

Just briefly, because this is obviously a complicated subject and much could be said from many perspectives ...
As you say, absolutely nothing would justify the slow, horrible murder of George Floyd, even if he were a dangerous person or had committed a serious crime. But all he did was allegedly try to use a fake $20 bill.
The anger over police violence is not only because of George Floyd, but because there have been many other, similar cases in recent years. The use of videos have made the violence much more visible, whereas before the police could act without being seen by the wider public.
Of course, there are many good cops, who try very hard to do their job right! And they will all tell you that these acts of violence makes their work much harder. Good cops try to work with the community and establish some trust and cooperation. This takes years, and this work gets damaged each time a bad cop does something like what happened to George Floyd.
Only when communities and law enforcement work together can there be progress and more safety for everyone. But that takes patience and persistence and some open minds.

And of course, it doesn't help that the US is a gun-happy country!

Anyway, thank you for being willing to discuss the subject thoughtfully. I am European myself, so I can see the many sides. Having African-American friends just makes me especially sensitive to their long and unique history of persecution, starting with slavery, and still continuing.

We would better be discussing all this sitting somewhere with a nice cup or glass of anything we fancy, but face to face, from exchange raises enrichment...
Maybe one day, as we are both tolerant and non racist persons.

Yes! Too bad we missed our chance when you were in San Francisco. Maybe some other time, some other life ... ;-)

very good statement

Very impressive shot and story. HFF, wish you a nice weekend, Sarah !

Interesting background information and positive sentiments, Sarah. Very belated HFF, stay safe and best wishes for the rest of the weekend.

A most relevant story of our times Sarah. Always asking the question of "do we as photographers record what we see, sometimes chancing the wrath of our subjects" -all depends on motives I suppose. Great catch and thoughtful script here.

Belated HFF, enjoy the week ahead.