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Responses to and analyses of the Jan. 6 seditious attack on the nations capital by a mob of Donald Trumps supporters have been wide ranging. Of particular significance has been the outcry over the disparity between the police response to the pro-Trump rioters and their response to the largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protests this past summer.

One cant escape the racial overtones laid bare by this juxtaposition. There is, however, an additional difference between BLM and Trumps insurrectionists to be noted: It is the former, not the latter, who are patriots committed to American values.

This may not be obvious to some. One might look at the fact that the BLM movement is grounded in a claim that racial injustice is woven into the fabric of our social, political and economic systems and wonder how one can object to the system yet be committed to the values it is meant to instantiate. Answering this question is the key to understanding how deeply committed the BLM movement is to American values.

To explain, the BLM movement is based on the proposition that our institutions have, for too many and for too long, failed to live up to their promise. The BLM movement merely demands that this promise be fulfilled. The BLM movement leans on our shared political values liberty, equality of opportunity and the rule of law to point out that our collective political project is not finished. One need not agree with their interpretation of these values or the impact that they claim these values ought to have (though I do) to recognize that the BLM project is one that seeks to perfect the American project by demanding that our shared values are made manifest for all. BLM demands that America lives up to its aspirations.

The same cannot be said for those who stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6. In fact, despite their rhetorical appeals to 1776 and their ostensive belief in the patriotic nature of their actions, the fact that the flags they flew were dominated by Trump campaign flags and included Confederate flags and banners of white supremacist gangs should be indication enough of where their loyalties lie. If we think of what their actions tell us, they violently stormed and looted our nations capital, seeking to overturn an election through forceful and unlawful means. In an effort to deny the will of the American people, they were implicitly denying the political equality of their fellow citizens, and they were undermining our political freedom, not defending it.

I should note that, though I may find many of the views held by Trumps supporters to be misguided if not wrong, those who chose not to take part in the storming of the Capitol building are not the object of this critique. Nothing I say here applies to those who were peacefully exercising their right to free expression. Even if I disagree with you, I respect your right to peacefully express your views.

For those who did choose the path of violence, some may claim that the intentions of these insurrectionists were, in fact, in line with the American commitment to democracy and freedom, that they were seeking to defend our democratic way of life. It is just that they have been fed a steady diet of lies and misinformation, and, as a consequence we cant hold them accountable for their ignorance or their actions. For the sake of argument, I will set aside my belief that the willful ignorance upon which this proposition relies is no excuse, and instead focus on the claim on its own terms.

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With this caveat noted, the values of our democratic republic include respect for the rule of law and a commitment to the proposition that every individual deserves equal respect within our legal and political processes. In practice this means that we respect the results of our elections and challenge them through the courts. It is our commitment to these institutions that allows a people as diverse as ours to live together and govern ourselves. To ignore the unanimous decisions of courts across this country and then try to overturn our election through force is an act of tyranny and not democracy, no matter what cloak you try to hide beneath.

I hope that in the aftermath of this crisis, we join BLM in the project of perfecting our republic, of living out the shared values that make our collective political life possible.

Joshua J. Kassner is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Baltimore. This piece was written for The Baltimore Sun.

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BLM protestors are the real American patriots - Newsday

BUFFALO, N.Y. Rayshard Brooks. George Floyd. Daniel Prude. Breonna Taylor. These are the now-familiar names of just a few of the many Black people killed by police in 2020.

It was a year that magnified many flaws in America, perhaps none more so than the nations mistreatment of people of color.

With each killing, protestors flooded the streets in a unifying demand for change. 2020 was a difficult year in the nations long and complex history of race relations. But it was also a milestone year for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Why?

Because Black Lives Matter has become solidified in the American psyche, says Kelly Patterson, PhD, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work who studies the intersection of poverty and inequality, as well as race and class. Blackness matters, and always has. But now there is a heightened awareness of differential outcomes and disparate impacts based solely on the color of ones skin.

That was evident, too, last week when a mob of President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the hub of democracy in the U.S., Patterson says. Even as we watched in horror the insurrection on the American Capitol, almost in unison across news outlets people were asking, What if those mobs had been Black?

The May killing of Floyd by police in Minneapolis was clearly the turning point in 2020, Patterson says.

There was an awakening, mostly by white folks, to a reality that Blacks have been enduring for centuries: Our lives mean less, and are taken for nothing, she says.

The Black Lives Matter movement itself is over 7 years old and has accomplished much in that time period, but George Floyds murder was a critical catalyst that shifted public opinion in favor of the movement. It propelled a fervency to make change, says Patterson. The wave of that change has been seen all across the country, bringing people from all races together to demand symbolic and, more importantly, structural changes supporting the value of Black lives.

I feel that was a spiritual sacrifice that propelled us all to think deeper about ourselves and to think about the changes we need in the world, says Michael Mwenso, a UB visiting professor of the arts and leader of Mwenso & the Shakes, an internationally acclaimed troupe of musical artists. That moment really changed the whole world. To see that execution happen made whats going on in the world more real.

While the movement has been based largely in the U.S., it has had global impact, says Mwenso, who was born in Sierra Leone and raised in London.

You saw it in places all over the world, where people were reacting to a sort of trauma that I think weve been attuned to but never healed from, he says. 2020 was the year for it to be exposed and for Black people to be able to express themselves and have the space to say, We know theres been a lot of changes but we know theres still a lot of BS going on.

Mwenso has been teaching a program through the UB Arts Collaboratory, in collaboration with Bronwyn Keenan, titled Protest, Hope and Resilience through Black Arts. Its a personally curated curriculum of history and music that explores how people of color have been agents of positive change and inclusion.

These are the types of programs and conversations that will help push the Black Lives Matter movement forward, he says.

If the events of 2020 created waves of support globally for Black Lives Matter, how can the movement maintain its momentum in 2021?

For starters, When we say nothing, we are complicit, says Patterson. We need to hold ourselves and others accountable, especially those in power, like our employers and public officials at all levels.

We need to continually talk about it so its not just a healing aid, says Mwenso, adding that hes been buoyed by the empathy he has heard in conversations with people from all walks of life over the past year. We need to find more allies who are white, who are in power, who are able to push forward what needs to change.

Some of the biggest changes, Patterson says, must now go beyond the symbolic.

There has to be real systemic change with a focus on housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system, she says.

These changes would include increasing the production of affordable housing, expanding subsidized housing programs, prioritizing funding for schools and providing substantial funding for targeted job training while improving wages and working conditions.

And finally, there must be a strong effort to dismantle our broken criminal justice system, she says. These changes would fundamentally improve the life chances of Black people in America.

Both Patterson and Mwenso are optimistic about the movements future in 2021.

While many may also find renewed hope that positive change may soon come in the U.S. with a new presidential administration, Mwenso says its important to remember who has the real power.

We cannot rely solely on a new administration, he says. We have to realize the power that we have. And thats really whats going to change things.

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2020 was a milestone year for the Black Lives Matter movement. What's ahead for 2021? - UB News Center

COVINGTON, La. (BRPROUD) Suriah and Adian White are again allowed to wear Black Lives Matter face masks.

Suriah White attends William Pitcher Junior High School and Adian White goes to Pine View Middle School in Louisiana.

Last month, 13-year-old Suriah White was told that her mask violated the school districts policy that notes styles of dress and grooming should never be such that they represent a collective or individual protest, according to the ACLU of Louisiana.

Pine View Middle School was then notified that Suriahs sibling was wearing the same mask.

Both students received in-school suspension.

That is when the ACLU of Louisiana jumped in and contacted the St. Tammany School Board.

Students do not lose their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse doors, said Bruce Hamilton, ACLU of Louisiana senior staff attorney. As their mother pointed out to administration officials, the students are not engaging in active protest by wearing Black Lives Matter masksbut even if they were, school officials cannot constitutionally prohibit non-violent protest.

Suriah and Adian White were subsequently granted an exemption to the The St. Tammany Parish School Board policy.

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Two students in Louisiana are allowed to wear Black Lives Matter masks after school board decision - KLFY

This week acting Australian Prime Minister Michael McCormack uttered a controversial phrase.

Defending previous comments in which he compared the Capitol riots to the Black Lives Matter protests, he asserted,

All lives matter.

McCormack was widely condemned for his remarks, including by Indigenous Australian activists, Labor and the Greens.

His use of the phrase was reminiscent of One Nation leader Pauline Hansons failed attempt to have the Senate endorse a motion that all lives matter in 2019. As former Finance Minister Mathias Cormann noted at the time, you have to consider things in their context.

As a linguist, who has just published On The Offensive, a book about offensive language, all lives matter is a phrase that reveals prejudice.

So, where does the phrase all lives matter come from? And given it is of course true that all lives matter, why is the phrase so offensive in todays context?

All lives matter was born out of Black Lives Matter. This is a slogan and a social movement in response to racism and violence perpetuated against Black people, both historically and in the modern era.

This can be traced back to a tragic incident almost nine years ago. In February 2012, 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin was walking home in Florida, after buying Skittles at a convenience store.

Local resident George Zimmerman reported Martin to police as suspicious, then confronted the innocent young man and fatally shot him. Zimmerman claimed the act was in self-defence and was later acquitted.

After this, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter began to appear on social media, in support of Martin and in protest against social and systemic racism that is, racism in society and through institutions. This grew into a movement, co-founded by three Black community organisers, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi.

Concerns and anger about racism towards Black people was reinvigorated more recently after several high-profile, racially charged incidents in the US.

Read more: Black Lives Matter is a revolutionary peace movement

These include the murder of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was shot while jogging in a south Georgia neighbourhood, and also the murder of George Floyd.

These tragic events inspired worldwide protests against institutional racism. In Australia, Black Lives Matter marches also called for justice for Indigenous people, including Aboriginal man David Dungay Jr, who died in custody in 2015. There have been more than 430 Indigenous deaths in custody since 1991.

What does it mean to say all lives matter?

When the Black Lives Matter motto arose, some people interpreted the phrase as confrontational and divisive. They took it to exclude other races. The phrase all lives matter sprang up in response, ostensibly to argue all lives are equal because we are all human beings.

However, Black Lives Matter was not intended to mean that other lives do not matter. In a world where Black people are stigmatised, marginalised, and discriminated against, Black Lives Matter simply recognises Black lives matter, too.

Responding to Black Lives Matter with all lives matter derails the specific conversation about racism against Black people. The phrase is seen to dismiss, ignore, or deny these problems it shuts down this important discussion.

Read more: The backlash against Black Lives Matter is just more evidence of injustice

US President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and other US conservatives like Rudy Guiliani, have used the phrase to criticise the Black Lives Matter movement.

Through its use, all lives matter has also become associated with white supremacy, far-right nationalism and racism.

Black Lives Matter is intended to promote the peaceful protest of racism against Black people, not only in the US, but worldwide. It also calls for immediate action against systemic and social racism.

When used by Black people, Black Lives Matter is a declaration that Black lives do indeed matter. It is a call for protection and recognition.

When said by allies supportive people outside of the racial group Black Lives Matter acknowledges that Black lives do indeed matter, and says we stand in solidarity with members of Black and indigenous communities both locally, and globally.

So, all lives matter can be understood as a racist dog whistle a direct push-back against the Black Lives Matter movement. It is far from an innocent term celebrating the worth of all humanity.

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Why is it so offensive to say 'all lives matter'? - The Conversation AU

Injustice often inspires art. When the Ohio National Guard killed four college students protesting the Vietnam War in 1970 at Kent State, Neil Young penned Ohio.

The counterculture anthem is one of the greatest protest songs written: Tin soldiers and Nixons coming / Were finally on our own / This summer I hear the drumming / Four dead in Ohio.

Keeping Nixon in the lyrics was one of the bravest things Neil has ever done, former Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young vocalist-guitarist David Crosby said during a 2018 interview.

Protest songs take courage. Say It Loud, Im Black and Im Proud by James Brown and Get Up, Stand Up by the Wailers are examples of powerful protest songs that have endured.

In recent years, protest songs inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement have made quite an impact.

When Janelle Monae was asked about her powerful BLM protest song Hell You Talmbout, the vocalist-actress gasped.

When you have a platform like I do, you have to make an impact, Monae said during a 2018 telephone interview. Its our responsibility. I really believe that silence is our enemy, and sound is our weapon.

Monae namechecks several Black victims of police brutality throughout Hell You Talmbout such as Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland and Freddie Gray.

One of Monaes musical heroes, Prince, was inspired to write Baltimore, one of his final singles, because of the death of Gray, a 25-year-old man who died in police custody five years ago in Baltimore.

Last June, Princes estate released his handwritten note on intolerance. Nothing more ugly in the whole wide world than INTOLERANCE (between) Black, white, red, yellow, boy or girl, INTOLERANCE.

2020 Riots: How Many Times, by Trey Songz, could be the theme of the BLM movement during the coronavirus. The R&B singer, who was inspired to write the compelling tune after Floyds murder, focuses on the injustices.

With the words in this song, I just wanted to speak to everyones hearts and acknowledge the pain and anguish everyone is going through right now, Songz said via a statement.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Leon Bridges was also moved to write after Floyds tragic death. Bridges responded by crafting Sweeter, about a Black man being denied the freedom to breathe.

It was the first time I wept for a man I never met, Bridges said courtesy of a statement. I am George Floyd, my brothers are George Floyd, and my sisters are George Floyd. I cannot and will not be silent any longer. Just as Abels blood was crying out to God, George Floyd is crying out to me. So, I present to you, Sweeter.

One of the most moving BLM anthems is I Cant Breathe, written and recorded by H.E.R., aka Gabriella Wilson.

The catchy blues song with a memorable vocal hook features some jarring lyrics:

Starting a war, screaming peace at the same time? All the corruption, injustice, the same crimes? Always a problem if we do or dont fight / And we die we dont have the same rights / What is a gun to a man that surrenders / What its gonna take for someone to defend us? If we all agree that were equal as people / Then why cant we see what is evil.

Kendrick Lamars Alright was featured at a number of BLM protests throughout the country. Its not surprising since Alright exudes determination and persistence, and its relentlessly positive.

We gon be alright, a backing vocal by Grammy winner Pharrell, who produced the track, is a phrase that is a beacon of hope in a sea of darkness courtesy of this 2015 number.

Ushers I Cry, also released in 2015, is one of the most beautiful BLM tunes. The piano ballad is deep, emotional and catchy.

Free was written and recorded by J. Cole not long after Ferguson police killed Michael Brown in 2014. Cole makes his statement during the chorus: All we want to do is take the chains off / All we want to do is be free.

Black Thought tipped his cap to Martin in 2018 with Rest in Power. One killer, one child, one weapon / The shooter was unthreatened / 71 seconds / So many unanswered questions / If the wounds heal, the memories never fade / I wonder if youre in heavens 11th grade / Six thousand, two hundred and 30 days / Too young of an early age / Such evil and worldly ways.

The video features the Roots frontman rapping next to an American flag and a brick wall with the projected images of Martin, BLM protests and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron was written and recorded long before the BLM movement, but it fits. The cut, which is a poem and a song, is a clever and provocative piece that doesnt sound as if its been around for a half-century.

But the song was at the forefront of the Black Power movement. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was released less than a year after Ohio. 1970-71 was a good period for protest songs. Perhaps the same will be said for 2020-21 a half-century from now.

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Black Lives Matter protest songs: 'Silence is our enemy, and sound is our weapon' - The Spokesman-Review