'What About White Lives?': North Carolina Politician Suggests Black Lives Matter Mural Is 'Racist'

A Wilmington, North Carolina, council member suggested on Monday that a proposed Black Lives Matter mural in the city was "racist."

"The thing that has always bothered me throughout this process is whenever anybody said something besides 'Black Lives Matter,' they were castigated as being racist. I think this is probably the most racist and divisive thing I've seen come before us," Charles Rivenbark said during a Wilmington City Council agenda meeting.

He continued, "If Black lives are the only ones that matter, you got a problem. That's racist. Because you got Hispanics, we have a melting pot of people here in this town, and I could imagine a small white child seeing that like, 'What about white lives?'"

According to the News & Observer newspaper in North Carolina, Rivenbark's comments came during a tense discussion over the proposed sign, which could stand 8 feet tall in the Jervay Park area.

The newspaper also reported that a group is currently "seeking approval to create a public and symbolic display that is intended to convey that our community supports efforts to end racism and create a better community."

During the virtual City Council meeting, Rivenbark added that since the mural has been proposed, he has continued to be contacted by "very upset people" across the city "over the fact that we would single out one race of people and say 'they matter.' We all matter."

He continued: "I think that would make so much more sense and bring people together in fault than putting Black Lives Matter," Rivenbark said. "And I've already been called everything from A to Z, and it don't bother me. My filter's gone, my skin's getting tougher all the time, but this is just wrong on so many levels, to just put 'Black Lives Matter,' and I am against it and I'll vote against it tomorrow night."

Rivenbark said a more inclusive mural would pose as a "nice neighborhood, welcoming, feel good mural," whereas the proposed Black Lives Matter mural "won't be."

Following his comments, fellow councilman Kevin Spears argued that the mural should be erected, referencing the death of George Floyd, who died after being kneeled on by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

"All lives can't matter until Black lives matter. All lives don't matter when you're seeing a man kneel, someone kneel on his neck, a police officer kneeled on his neck for nine and a half minutes and killed him," Spears said.

He continued: "We're not seeing the disregard for other lives throughout the nation, but we are seeing a disregard for Black lives throughout the nation. And so we're not trying to disregard the importance of the lives of other people. We're trying to shine the light on, saying, 'Hey, Black people are citizens too, and we want to live too.'"

Newsweek reached out to Rivenbark and the Wilmington City Council for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

This story was updated to correct the spelling of Councilman Kevin Spears' name.