Civic Cipher hosts talk about ‘White Lives Matter’
They’ve appeared on CNN, ABC, and the BBC, and on Tuesday, the radio personalities who trademarked the phrase “White Lives Matter” spoke to students at Norfolk State University.
Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, co-hosts of the nationally syndicated radio show and podcast Civic Cipher, explained their reasoning behind the trademark before a small crowd in a lecture hall.
“So once upon a time, one of my favorite musical artists decided he’d be in vogue at Fashion Week and wear a ‘White Lives Matter’ T-shirt,” Ward said, beginning the story with a little laugh.
Ward, of course, was referring to Ye, the artist who changed his name from Kanye West. Ye, the internationally acclaimed and controversial rapper and producer, made headlines last October after wearing a T-shirt with the words “White Lives Matter” while attending Paris Fashion Week.
The radio hosts took offense to Ye’s political statement and even viewed it as being potentially dangerous.
Ja and Ward told the students Tuesday night that, yes, all people’s lives matter.
But, they added, that while the Black Lives Matter movement has worked to reaffirm the worth of Black people’s lives, the phrase “white lives matter” is unconnected to positive messaging.
Speaking to the students at the historically Black university, Ward said the phrase was created purely as an opposition to Black Lives Matter.
“Those terms were born to remind us that, no, your life does not matter,” Ward said.
“Those groups,” he said, referring to non-minorities, “don’t need to be reminded or reaffirmed or reassured of their worth. That’s why you never heard of any of those slogans before.”
The duo’s talk show focuses on racial justice, and they made the decision to buy the trademark to hamper the phrase from becoming a fashion staple, Ja said.
“We don’t have to live in a world where the shirts are going to be a mall and we have to deal with that.”
The Civic Cipher hosts control the exclusive right to sue anyone who includes the wording on clothes.
Ja and Ward told the students about the importance of networking and encouraged them to stay in contact over LinkedIn or simply give them a call.
They said that they’d be willing to meet with Ye and discuss their stance.