Best of Fall Issue E-Dition 2020

Why “All Lives Matter” is Problematic
by Patrick Tronoski,
class of 2022
and Sofia Eichsteadt,
class of 2022
As the “Black Lives Matter”
movement spreads across the nation,
increasing backlash has made headway
in social discourse. People have started to
use the “All Lives Matter” argument as a
counterclaim to the “BLM” movement.
This statement suggests that it’s not just
Black lives that matter, but everyone’s
life that matters. However, Fore
Abinusawa, Class of 2022, argues that
those who actively support the sentiment
“All Lives Matter” wrongly believe the
goal of “BLM” is to elevate Black lives
above other lives. She explains that they
view the movement with “an invisible
‘only’” in front of “Black Lives Matter.”
While “All Lives Matter” may seem
intuitive at first glance, it steers the
conversation away from racial injustice
and minimizes the pain that Black
Americans face every day.
Germantown Academy’s Director of
Equity and Inclusion, Mrs. Walker-
Johnson, states that using “All Lives
Matter” “is a failure to really hear what’s
being communicated in the statement
‘Black Lives Matter.’ “BLM” attempts to
illustrate the racial disparity in class and
opportunity in this country. It calls for
larger changes in legislation to eliminate
the effects of systemic white supremacy
and state violence. “You’re not listening
to us, you’re not paying attention to this
pattern or behaviour that stands in the
way of our ability to thrive… The best
way to really dig deeper into learning is
Fast Fashion
by Adah Kaplan,
class of 2024
If you’ve ever bought seven shirts from
that H&M sale rack before summer,
or visited Forever 21 to buy neon shorts
for a themed party...congratulations!
You’re one of 99% of people who have
succumbed to the temptation of cheap
clothes and taken part in fast fashion.
While exciting, this consumer tendency
sacrifices quality, the environment, and
the welfare of others for convenience and
affordability.
Fashion is one of the most polluted
industries in the world, only second to
the oil industry. Fast fashion allows
people to purchase and wear trendy
clothes almost instantly without breaking
the bank. However, the resulting demand
and constant introduction of new trends
forces companies to produce items faster
and cheaper, which causes severe
environmental harm in the process.
Fast fashion companies use cheap and
toxic dyes that pollute water. As machines
become more powerful, they also release
more gas emissions into the air. Workers
are getting paid less and working more.
Even the budget designated to ensure
safety in the workplace has been
drastically cut. The lack of safety
regulations has resulted in fast fashion
buildings catching on fire or collapsing,
killing and injuring many. The 1911
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was certainly not
the last time the world needed a reality
check. In 2013, a fire in Bangladesh
killed over 1000 people and injured over
to ask questions” said Walker-Johnson.
Asking questions and staying informed
on racial issues is the key to arriving at a
place of respect and empathy for
marginalized groups in America.
The goal of the “Black Lives Matter”
movement is to ensure that “All Lives
Matter.” “In theory, all lives do matter,
it’s the ‘in-practice’ part that’s the
challenge” said Walker-Johnson. The
While “All Lives Matter” may
seem intuitive at first glance, it
steers the conversation away
from racial injustice and
minimizes the pain that Black
Americans face every day.
BLM directly challenges the idea that all
lives actually matter in America. When
faced with the mounting evidence that
not all lives matter, and that Black lives
2,500. This too, was not an isolated
incident.
Although we know that $4.99 shirts
won’t last long, and that buying a $20,
higher quality shirt will be a more
sustainable investment, many still go for
the cheaper option. One of the easiest
ways to make a change is to treat the
items in your closet like a long-term
investment. Try to invest in basic pieces
that can be paired with almost everything.
Consider purchasing clothes from ethical
brands, such as Able, Pact, Alternative
Apparel, Everlane, or Pansy.
Also, there’s several ethical brands
that are beginning to cater to younger
people— Reformation (an Urban
Outfitters dupe), Dynamite (which is
basically a cooler H&M), and Mata
are regularly targeted and undervalued,
people often deflect and use language
they might feel is more inclusive,
detracting from the larger point of the
movement.
In this country, Black lives matter
considerably less than white lives. The
discrimination and unequal treatment
towards Black Americans is evident in
the criminal justice system. In 2015, the
Washington Post began compiling a
database of every fatal police shooting
that occurred in America. They found
that the rate at which Black Americans
are killed by cops is almost double that
of white Americans. Similarly, the
Sentencing Project finds that African
Americans are incarcerated at a rate more
than 5 times that of whites; 38% of the
national state prison population is Black
even though Blacks make up only 13%
of the general population.
Traders (similar to ModCloth).
Another option is shopping at thrift
stores, which are also one of the best
places you can send your old clothes.
While thrift stores are an easy way to
recycle items, if you’re able to afford
ethically made brands, it’s better to buy
directly from them. If many financially
stable people buy from thrift stores in an
attempt to be more eco-friendly, then
those who are less wealthy are forced to
buy from the cheaper brands, putting
ethical brands out of business and
inadvertently helping fast fashion
brands.
Still, many people strive to wear the
latest trends. Like Paris Hilton, some
aspire to never get photographed in the
same outfit twice. So what are the
Opinions
The Black community is
systematically marginalized. Black adults
are more likely to go without care
because of cost than white adults. Black
children have less access to quality
education than white children do.
According to UNCF (United Negro
College Fund), an organization that
provides college scholarships for Black
students to HBCUs, “[public] schools
with 90% or more students of color
spend $733 less per student per year
than schools with 90% or more white
students.” These statistics indicate that
there is a systemic issue that yields worse
results for the African American
population in America than it does for
the white population.
Although the notion of “All Lives
Matter” is understable in theory, blatant
situations of Black lives being valued less
and even disregarded tell a different
story. “All Lives Matter” implies that
those who are fighting for equality and
justice are fighting for something they
already have. The backlash to “BLM” is
by people who don’t want to accept that
their privilege comes at the expense of
others. “All Lives Matter” provides a
curtain of security. It reassures people
who don’t want to open their eyes to
injustice and allows them to be confident
that their status will not change. “All
Lives Matter” is an attempt to make us
lose sight of what we are fighting for: a
world in which Black lives really do
matter. This time comes when all lives
will matter.
alternatives? Rental services— think
Rent the Runway, Express Style Trial, or
LeTote—allow people to select items
they like, wear once or twice (or more!),
and return the items in exchange for new
clothes. For those who enjoy wearing
clothes from expensive brands, Style
Lend also allows people to rent designer
items out of other people’s closets for a
week.
Although it might take more effort to
find sustainable clothes that you really
like, time restraints are a small barrier to
overcome. The environmental, social,
and oftentimes financial impacts are
high payoffs. It’s up to you to research,
learn about your favorite brands, and
begin to change your spending habits!