The recent use of the acronym BLM in national conversation has left some Westerners confused.
At this week’s Democratic National Convention, the Wyoming delegation wore t-shirts supporting Black Lives Matter, or in shorthand, BLM. Nina McConigley is a writer who lives Laramie. She posted about the show of support on her Facebook page, writing "Wyoming delegation - all wearing BLM shirts! As a POC [Person of Color] in Wyo, this makes me so so happy." She says that elicited a lot of confused comments in response.
"If you’re from the west, you think of the Bureau of Land Management," she said. "That’s just what you think of."
In fact, McConigley says the first time she saw it, that’s where her mind went.
"Friends on Facebook posting about BLM who were in New York, I thought, ‘Wow, I never knew they had such an interest this election season in land issues. That’s awesome,’" she said. "And then I realized."
Of course, if the tables were turned and it were in fact a discussion of land issues, Easterners might feel the same.