--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If black lives mattered, I believe that…" description: "\"If black lives mattered, I believe that policing and immigration enforcement would not be the devastating force that it is in our communities.\" — Opal ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/opal-tometi-9098_believe_if-black-lives-mattered-i-believe-that-p_1436101.jpg" --- # If black lives mattered, I believe that policing and… ![“If black lives mattered, I believe that policing and immigration enforcement would not be the devastating force that it is in our communities.” quote by Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/opal-tometi-9098_believe_if-black-lives-mattered-i-believe-that-p_1436101.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/opal-tometi-9098_believe_if-black-lives-mattered-i-believe-that-p_1436101.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/116/opal-tometi-9098_believe_if-black-lives-mattered-i-believe-that-p_1436101.jpg) > “If black lives mattered, I believe that policing and immigration enforcement would not be the devastating force that it is in our communities.” [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Systemic oppression links policing and immigration, harming marginalized communities. **In simple terms:** Policing and immigration harm Black lives. Key Takeaway Advocate for reform and community safety. Themes justice systemic racism policy community Mood urgent hopeful Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - neighborhood patrols - border control - immigration raids Key Concepts structural inequality human rights public safety Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce harm while ensuring safety? - How can communities build trust with law enforcement? A Different Perspective Reforms face political resistance and funding limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-lives/) [Black lives matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-lives-matter/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Policing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policing/) ## Related quotes > [Black Lives Matter is not just concerned with what happens in policing. The disregard, the disrespect, and the lack of dignity for black life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-is-not-just-concerned-with-what-happens-in/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Black Lives Matter has been viral, and people are taking it, appropriating it, and using it however they see fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/black-lives-matter-has-been-viral-and-people-are-taking-it/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Black people, we are fully deserving of the room and space to fully express our humanity. This is what Black Lives Matter is truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/black-people-we-are-fully-deserving-of-the-room-and-space-to-fully/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Black Lives Matter is really an affirmation for our people. It's a love note for our people, but it's also a demand. We know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/black-lives-matter-is-really-an-affirmation-for-our-people-it-s-a/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [When we say 'Black Lives Matter,' we're not saying that any other life doesn't matter. That has never, ever been our message. Our message…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/when-we-say-black-lives-matter-we-re-not-saying-that-any-other-life/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Black immigrants and refugees have just as much at stake in the fight to make Black Lives Matter as African Americans do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/black-immigrants-and-refugees-have-just-as-much-at-stake-in-the-fight/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [We actually know that all lives do matter. And we believe it is so much so that we had to create Black Lives Matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/we-actually-know-that-all-lives-do-matter-and-we-believe-it-is-so/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I was in awe of previous black liberation struggle leaders - Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells. I wanted to be part of something bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-was-in-awe-of-previous-black-liberation-struggle-leaders-sojourner/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I felt like any individual's recovery was more important than the film I was making. And I actually felt that my presence was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-lindstrom/i-felt-like-any-individual-s-recovery-was-more-important-than-the/) [Brian Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-lindstrom/) > [When some people rejoin with “All Lives Matter” they misunderstand the problem, but not because their message is untrue. It is true that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/when-some-people-rejoin-with-all-lives-matter-they-misunderstand-the/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [In the same way that Occupy Wall Street forever elevated that concept of income inequality, the Black Lives Matter protesters have elevated the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/in-the-same-way-that-occupy-wall-street-forever-elevated-that-concept/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [“You who came of age in the past decade have had eight years of a Black U.S. president, and that gloss looked good, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohja-kahf/you-who-came-of-age-in-the-past-decade-have-had-eight-years-of-a/) [Mohja Kahf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohja-kahf/) > [I don't agree with the Black Lives Matter organizers. They are stated as anti-capitalists. And it's much more than just the police to them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/i-don-t-agree-with-the-black-lives-matter-organizers-they-are-stated/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [The national conversation around white entitlement, around institutionalized racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, I think, came about in large part because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-national-conversation-around-white-entitlement-around/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [Black Lives Matter started from a post that I put on Facebook after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. I woke up in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/black-lives-matter-started-from-a-post-that-i-put-on-facebook-after/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) ## More by Opal Tometi > [There are always groups on campus that are doing amazing things. I know when I was in college, I was a student at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/there-are-always-groups-on-campus-that-are-doing-amazing-things-i/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Let's demonstrate, illustrate, the ways in which our communities are being undermined time and time again, and make sure that the broader public and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/let-s-demonstrate-illustrate-the-ways-in-which-our-communities-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Being in the immigrant rights space, I've heard a lot of transactional talk with questions like, 'When will black people show up for immigrants?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/being-in-the-immigrant-rights-space-i-ve-heard-a-lot-of-transactional/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Our communities are reeling from poverty, from unemployment, from discrimination of all sorts and different interactions that they're having with the law enforcement, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/our-communities-are-reeling-from-poverty-from-unemployment-from/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Antiblack racism is not only happening in the United States. It's actually happening all across the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/antiblack-racism-is-not-only-happening-in-the-united-states-it-s/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I'm really looking for an agenda that looks at safety for our communities beyond policing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-m-really-looking-for-an-agenda-that-looks-at-safety-for-our/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I just look back at my time in college and think about how much my community activism and my work in neighborhoods really informed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-just-look-back-at-my-time-in-college-and-think-about-how-much-my/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Trump's racism has clearly driven his policy decisions during his first year in office - from his Muslim ban and his despicable treatment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/trump-s-racism-has-clearly-driven-his-policy-decisions-during-his/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I have two younger brothers, and I know my parents have spoken to them about driving and interacting with police. They didn't have those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/i-have-two-younger-brothers-and-i-know-my-parents-have-spoken-to-them/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Lean into your curiosity about any issue, and there will likely be people to share a little bit more of their knowledge and insight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/lean-into-your-curiosity-about-any-issue-and-there-will-likely-be/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [We can't continue to sit on our hands and sit idly by as people are being brutalized, disenfranchised, and left out of the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/we-can-t-continue-to-sit-on-our-hands-and-sit-idly-by-as-people-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Far from ending, systemic racism reinvents itself to conform to what is publically acceptable, leaving the quality of black life diminished and more permanently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/far-from-ending-systemic-racism-reinvents-itself-to-conform-to-what/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Some of us have held the hands of friends or brothers as they struggled with military and police academy recruiters, and though many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/some-of-us-have-held-the-hands-of-friends-or-brothers-as-they/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [Only when the oppressed are heard can we have an honest solutions based dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/only-when-the-oppressed-are-heard-can-we-have-an-honest-solutions/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [We know that there are people in our nation, black people, who are systematically being disenfranchised in a number of spheres in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/we-know-that-there-are-people-in-our-nation-black-people-who-are/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) [Explore all 75 Opal Tometi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? 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