All Lives Matter is a slogan that was created in opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. The slogan "argue[s] [that] all lives are equal because we are all human beings." The All Lives Matter slogan is typically associated with conservative views, and a rejection of the ideas supported by proponents of the Black Lives Matter movement, which emerged in response to police brutality and ethnic violence.
History
The All Lives Matter movement was created as a negative response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The use of the All Lives Matter slogan on Twitter following the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner began in 2014 to "undermine the purpose and message of the #BlackLivesMatter call to action", and it was used to deny recognition of racial violence against African Americans. Some supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement adopted the All Lives Matter slogan to shift debate away from semantics, while others avoided the term entirely.
The All Lives Matter slogan gained prominence in national American politics during the 2016 United States presidential election. In June 2015, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton faced backlash after using the phrase "all lives matter" at an African-American church in Missouri during her presidential campaign. Martin O'Malley, another 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, was booed when he said: "White lives matter. All lives matter." Several Republican candidates supported the All Lives Matter movement in the 2016 presidential election. Donald Trump said "All lives matter" at one of his rallies, and claimed that "Black Lives Matter" is a divisive and racist term. United States Republican Senator Tim Scott has used the term when calling for racial equality and unity. Ben Carson, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Donald Trump, is a proponent of All Lives Matter, as is Senator Rand Paul, who has claimed that Black Lives Matter "focused on the wrong targets". Paul stated that "I think they should change their name maybe—if they were All Lives Matter, or Innocent Lives Matter." Other Republican supporters include Mike Pence and Rudy Giuliani.
On February 24, 2016, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, sent out a company-wide internal memo to employees formally rebuking employees who had crossed out handwritten "Black Lives Matter" phrases on the company walls and had written "All Lives Matter" in their place. The memo was then leaked by several employees. As Zuckerberg had previously condemned this practice at previous company meetings, and other similar requests had been issued by other leaders at Facebook, Zuckerberg wrote in the memo that he would now consider this overwriting practice not only disrespectful, but "malicious as well". According to Zuckerberg's memo, "Black Lives Matter doesn't mean other lives don't – it's simply asking that the black community also achieves the justice they deserve." The memo also said that the act of crossing something out in itself, "means silencing speech, or that one person's speech is more important than another's."
In July 2016, American football player Richard Sherman supported the All Lives Matter message, saying "I stand by what I said that All Lives Matter and that we are human beings." He wanted African Americans to be "treated like human beings" and did not want innocent police officers being killed. On October 2, 2016, a fan at a Chicago Bears NFL game ran onto the field during a television timeout during the 4th quarter dressed in a gorilla costume, wearing a shirt that read "All Lives Matter" on the front.
At a performance during the 2016 MLB All-Star Game in July 2016, Remigio Pereira, a member of The Tenors, held up an "All Lives Matter" sign and altered some lyrics to the anthem "O Canada". Pereira sang, "We're all brothers and sisters. All lives matter to the great," instead of the lines, "With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free." Even after criticism (and later removal from the group), he defended his statement, tweeting "I speak for the human race and the lives of all sentient beings. Love, peace, and harmony for ALL has always been my life's purpose."
Activists from Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter made news in July 2016 when they embraced during a run-in in Dallas, stating: "We're all brothers and sisters."