University of South Carolina Welcomes Alicia Garza, Co-Founder of #BlackLivesMatter

Students and staff at the University of South Carolina gathered together in the Russell House ballroom for an open dialogue behind the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter. Alicia Garza, one of the co-creators behind the movement, led the discussion. She expressed that BLM was so much more than a hashtag and made it perfectly clear that "Black Lives Matter" is an organization that just serves as one facet of the overall movement itself. When discussing whether or not #BlackLivesMatter was created primarily to combat police brutality, Garza said that the phrase stemmed from a love letter she felt compelled to write, particularly to African-American citizens. "#BlackLivesMatter came as a result of grief, pain...hope for what we can be," Garza said. Garza's discussion kicked off with an old parable that mirrors situations of today involving race relations. "Until the lion has its own historian, tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter," Garza said. She then addresses a wider issue that stemmed from the creation of the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, which is the hashtag #AllLivesMatter. While she agrees that all lives do indeed matter, she also addresses the hashtag's creation as a way to divert attention away from the bigger picture. "Every 28 hours a Black life is lost," Garza said. "Black people were the first currency of this nation...how do we keep a straight face and say that #AllLivesMatter?" Garza also continues the dialogue, transitioning into the way the movement coincides with the need for a better policy. She urged everyone, but especially the Black students in the room to vote, and to really get involved locally in public policy issues. She also encouraged the student body to find ways to bring the #BlackLivesMatter movement to USC in a way that is tailored towards the issues of the South. "These narratives are not new, but our conditions are," Garza said. "We've hit a nerve, and we intend to keep going. Not for disruption ... I want to raise a family."