Demonstrations, rallies, changes to the law, increased prosecutions—all of these things are vital to making sure that all lives—black, brown, or white; female or male; Christian, Jewish, or Muslim; gay or straight—are equally valued by the public and in the execution of the law. But just as important is the stand that ordinary people take in everyday situations… the raising of voice as situations arise in the forums of our lives. Giving voice is the driving force of this essay and the logic behind this special issue of Sociological Forum: Whose Lives Matter?: Violence, Social Control, and the Racial Divide.