Black Lives Are Capitalized

Representation matters. Seeing ourselves matters. Black Lives Matter.

 I say that because systemic racism is so prevalent it's easy to miss. Take for example Black vs black It is very hard to say it loud when your “b” is lower case. Minority less than. Unequal. Fewer. Word choice is important.

What we see and say impacts how we act and react. A long time ago I embraced the term African American because it's capitalized. It made me feel empowered because capitalization was a great equalizer.

Think about it. If the school system, the media, and every institution we hold dear portrays you as less than while touting we are all equal its confusing. And when you question the status quo you receive a subliminal gut punch.

The lower-case “b” is doing its job emphasizing, however subtly that Black people are not worthy of capitalization, inclusion and equalization. We are met with derision and condescension and given the same old rhetoric, it's not grammatically correct to capitalize the “b” in Black.

But I say aren't grammatical rules just rules? If so, rules can be changed. Just look at the period. We no longer need two spaces after it in written correspondence. So if we can change that long ingrained rule, we can change how the lower-case “b” can be capitalized so that young Black children know they matter. Because they do.

Black lives are capitalized.