The statement “black lives matter” should not be controversial. The comedian Michael Che makes this point in a stand-up routine on the Black Lives Matter movement from 2016 that has been making the rounds on social media. “We can’t agree on anything anymore,” Che laments. “We can’t even agree on black lives matter. That is a controversial statement.” Che continues by asking, incredulously, what is “less than matters? Black lives exist. Can we say that? Is that controversial?”

The denial of this bedrock principle, “black lives matter,” by individuals and communities, both now and in our nation’s history, is a stain on our national conscience. The denial of this principle transgresses our nation’s founding belief that all men are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The denial of this principle violates the core tenet of liberal democracy that each individual possesses equal dignity and deserves equal respect.