"BLACK LIVES MATTER” IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE ALL
LIVES MATTER" BY JACQUELINE BATTALORA
Question:
Discuss the following questions.
1. What is the author's thesis?
2. Summarize the author's essay.
3. Name one reason why you agree or disagree with the author.
Why? Be specific. "Black Lives Matter' Is Important Because All
Lives Matter" by Jacqueline Battalora
There is no doubt that all lives matter. So why have a movement called "Black
Lives Matter" that includes the posting of signs that assert the same claim?
To say all lives matter may be an existential truth, but current conditions and
certainly our past reveals a very different truth. When lives matter, harm to life
is taken seriously. This is reflected in coverage by the media, action by the
state, and caring by fellow humans.
It was a steamy summer evening in the Deep South, June 1963, in the State
of Mississippi when civil rights activist Medgar Evers was gunned down in his
driveway. He lay shot to death in front of his home where his wife, Merlie, and
their children lay on the floor after hearing the sound of gunshots. Two all-
white juries failed to convict Byron De La Beckwith, the man whose prints
were found on the murder weapon. The message—a black man's life did not
matter. At least not enough to ensure justice would be served. Thirty-one
years later, in 1994, De La Beckwith was tried and convicted after new
evidence emerged.
A volunteer program was launched in 1964 called Freedom Summer. Just
over 5 percent of African Americans were registered to vote in Mississippi as
a result of state-imposed voting tests and violence inflicted upon African
Americans who tried to register. The purpose of the project was to register as
many African-American voters as possible and set up schools and community
centers in small towns across the state to serve and support the local African
American community. James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael
Schwerner traveled to Mississippi together to participate in Freedom
Summer.
The three civil rights workers were stopped for an alleged traffic violation and
arrested. After being released, they were again pulled over and then
abducted. Two of the men were white and one was African American. The
national media widely covered the missing men, federal troops were deployed
to assist the search and more than 200 FBI agents were brought to
Mississippi. The wife of a missing volunteer from New York noted at the time
that if two of the missing volunteers were not white, the incident would have
LIVES MATTER" BY JACQUELINE BATTALORA
Question:
Discuss the following questions.
1. What is the author's thesis?
2. Summarize the author's essay.
3. Name one reason why you agree or disagree with the author.
Why? Be specific. "Black Lives Matter' Is Important Because All
Lives Matter" by Jacqueline Battalora
There is no doubt that all lives matter. So why have a movement called "Black
Lives Matter" that includes the posting of signs that assert the same claim?
To say all lives matter may be an existential truth, but current conditions and
certainly our past reveals a very different truth. When lives matter, harm to life
is taken seriously. This is reflected in coverage by the media, action by the
state, and caring by fellow humans.
It was a steamy summer evening in the Deep South, June 1963, in the State
of Mississippi when civil rights activist Medgar Evers was gunned down in his
driveway. He lay shot to death in front of his home where his wife, Merlie, and
their children lay on the floor after hearing the sound of gunshots. Two all-
white juries failed to convict Byron De La Beckwith, the man whose prints
were found on the murder weapon. The message—a black man's life did not
matter. At least not enough to ensure justice would be served. Thirty-one
years later, in 1994, De La Beckwith was tried and convicted after new
evidence emerged.
A volunteer program was launched in 1964 called Freedom Summer. Just
over 5 percent of African Americans were registered to vote in Mississippi as
a result of state-imposed voting tests and violence inflicted upon African
Americans who tried to register. The purpose of the project was to register as
many African-American voters as possible and set up schools and community
centers in small towns across the state to serve and support the local African
American community. James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael
Schwerner traveled to Mississippi together to participate in Freedom
Summer.
The three civil rights workers were stopped for an alleged traffic violation and
arrested. After being released, they were again pulled over and then
abducted. Two of the men were white and one was African American. The
national media widely covered the missing men, federal troops were deployed
to assist the search and more than 200 FBI agents were brought to
Mississippi. The wife of a missing volunteer from New York noted at the time
that if two of the missing volunteers were not white, the incident would have
