It's important to me that we stand with the idea of Black Lives Matter. It's important to me because of what I see happening in our country today, it's important because of what I learned — and didn't learn — about our country's history while growing up, and it's important because of experiences from my life as an Asian American.
The phrase "Black Lives Matter" dates back to 2013, in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin, who was shot by someone who claimed that Martin looked suspicious in part because he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt. The killer was acquitted, which led to a community organizer to start the #BlackLivesMatter, due to the verdict seeming to say that Martin's life did not matter.