How Parkland Exposed American Hypocrisy Toward Black Lives Matter

FEATURING CHENJERAI KUMANYIKA – The teenage survivors of the Parkland, Florida gun massacre are going strong nearly two weeks after 17 of their fellow students and school staff were gunned down. Their urgent and unequivocal call for gun control has been met with opposition from the far right including the NRA and President Trump. But, by and large the American public has embraced the courage and conviction of these kids and celebrities like George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey have offered emotional and financial support.

Now, some who have been involved with Black Lives Matter have asked why it is that when Black teenagers mobilized some years ago to protest the rampant police killings in their community, they did not receive such broad support?

Janaya Khan, writing in The Root expressed her pain at these double standards, saying, “this moment serves to remind black youths that the world cares less about them than it does other children.”

Chenjerai Kumanyika is an Assistant Professor in the Rutgers University Department of Journalism and Media Studies and a news correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali.