Opinion: Stop Comparing Vanessa Guillen to BLM

Central Texans are mourning the loss of Spc Vanessa Guillen after the tragic details of her death were released on Thursday evening.

Working in the media industry, I hear or read about Vanessa's disappearance everyday. As a woman and a Latina, the story affected me greatly. What happened to her? Where is she? You try to remain hopeful, but as the time passes you just know something terrible must have happened.

When the details emerged about her death, I cried. This woman was so close to my age, she lived in the Central Texas area just as I do, and for some reason she was taken away and her life was ended abruptly. KWTX reports that a co-worker, Spc. Aaron David Robinson of Calumet City, Illinois, is believed to be responsible for Guillen's death.

While Spc. Aaron David Robinson was African American, and Vanessa Guillen was Hispanic, I personally feel some are unfairly using this tragic incident to tear down Black Lives Matter. There are some who are hoping to use Vanessa's death as a reason to delegitimize what BLM stands for.

The goal behind the BLM movement is the search for justice. BLM seeks to end the systemic oppression that African Americans have endured for years. BLM is not a terrorist organization, and supporting BLM does not mean that you believe Black lives are more important than other lives. In fact, it's just the opposite. It's about acknowledging that Black lives have historically been devalued and working to ensure that everyone, regardless of skin color, is granted the basic privilege of equal treatment under the law.

We will get justice for Vanessa Guillen, but Black lives still matter.