Racism remains a problem around the world, and the Black Lives Matter movement is made up of groups around the world fighting this injustice.

To get a better understanding of how African American students at Mount Carmel view the movement, I interviewed five current students, asking each “What does Black Lives Matter truly mean to you?”

Juniors like Anthony Williams feel that the movement addresses a larger truth.

“What it means to me is, honestly, that we are all equal under one God, but right now we are focused on showing that Blacks and all minorities matter.”

Williams’ statement was echoed by others.  While everyone interviewed worded his response differently, the gist of those comments was that all races deserve to be treated equally, but right now the suffering of the African American people must be brought to light.

Senior Kerry Maxey believes that it may not be enough to protest racial injustice.

“At first I thought the protests would work, but they didn’t seem to work.  Now many riot and are demanding to be heard, and it gets our views across.”

During my interviews, I noticed people could be sorted into two categories: those who supported this show of civil disobedience and those who did not.

Some thought the riots were only fueling hatred and leading to the backlash against the movement, while others like Maxey firmly believed that Blacks wouldn’t be heard until they took actions into their own hands.

Senior Lance Mahome offered a more balanced approach on the issue.

“I feel that racial injustices can be combatted through establishing awareness and pushing for equity. (We need) reallocation of police overfunding to different police programs that focus on training and mental health, as well as social programs and other resources that improve underprivileged and impoverished Black communities provides assistance.”

These comments seem representative of the wide range of opinions on this very complex subject. Mahome’s statement was in support of trying to keep things peaceful and starting with the root of the problem, while Maxey’s statement showed his support for more forceful action to combat racial injustices.

In the end, each conversation expressed major support for the Black Lives Matter movement, although there where many different views on how things can and should be handled.  The general consensus is that the movement is important to these students and is heading in a good direction.