The Changing Face of Racism in America.
What it means to be anti-Racist in modern society.
The Murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 by four Minneapolis Police Officers has reignited a centuries long battle with Racism in America.
With a president seemingly more focused with his own celebrity rather than with the needs of his fellow countrymen: We, as a people begin to greater appreciate the gravity of the situation at hand, from all points of view, by turning once more to history.
The tragedy of Floyd’s death is only compounded further by other notable incidences of Police brutality in conjunction with racist motives in previous months —
There was the death of Breonna Taylor on March 13. A 26 year old E.M.T. and ER technician who was fatally shot a total of eight times in her home in Louisville, KY by Metro Police during a botched drug raid.
There was the fatal shooting of 25 year old Ahmaud Arbery a month prior on February 23 by a former police officer and his son while Arbery was jogging near his home in Brunswick, Glynn County, Georgia.
In the wake of these deaths we, as a nation have banned together during unprecedented times in order to once and for all address the very real threat of police brutality in this country as well as reveal the face of Racism in America and begin the long road to collective redemption. But what does the face of racism actually look like in today’s society? The answer may indeed be as simple as looking into a mirror.
With solidarity and support pouring in from demonstrators around the world, we’ve seen historic curfews implemented in cities nationwide, a targeting of our press by riot police and a continued hostility by the head of state towards average American citizens exercising their first amendment rights in the weeks following the death of George Floyd.
A collective call to action nationwide, which hasn’t been seen since the days of Rosa Parks and MLK, has fundamentally and swiftly changed the way we define racism in America.
THE FACES OF RACISM IN AMERICA
On June 3rd, ex-Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder with J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao all receiving aiding and abetting murder charges in relation to George Floyd.
Greg and Travis McMichael along with William Bryan have each been charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery.
Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove have since been placed on administrative reassignment while the Louisville Metro Police Department’s (LMPD) Professional Integrity Unit investigates Breonna Taylor’s death further.
As social media platforms and media news outlets circulated captured footage from at least 2 of 3 murders along with mug shots of those condemned police officers, we as a nation were able to literally put a face to the evil perpetrated at the hands of men whom we entrust with our safety and with the ethical enforcement of our nation’s laws.
It wasn’t long before a reckoning had arrived forcing nearly every American to address the ever-present struggle afflicting our Black brethren. A struggle deemed far more vital to our survival than the vaccine to novel COVID-19.
The struggle to end systemic racism in this country.
RE-DEFINING RACISM FOR THE MODERN AGE
On June 2nd, I woke up, like many Americans to #BlackoutTuesday; A coordinated initiative created by Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang, two young African American female music executives seeking to intentionally disrupt business as usual in the midst of the ongoing demonstrations.
Originally created under #TheShowMustBePaused, it was the intention of Thomas and Agyemang to put a pause within the working week of the Music industry and allow a “beat for honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community.”
The insider movement soon spread to all corners of social media and by Tuesday, June 2nd much of the home feed and search grids on popular media apps such as Twitter and Instagram were covered with blacked out posts.
The social media action, which had begun as an unprecedented uniform call for solidarity, soon began to interfere with the movement’s overall momentum throughout the day.
In an unforeseen turn of events, participants of the blackout were unwittingly clogging the search feed of critical information by assigning their blackout posts popular hashtags associated with the Black Lives Matter movement.
It was made apparent that not everyone participating in #BlackoutTuesday understood its origins and thus were using incorrect hashtags. Yet in the collective effort to course correct a more profound discourse had already begun to take shape.
From checking one’s privileges to bail fund contributions to marching in the streets and attending vigils, people around the world were now actively showcasing solidarity through action. Follow-up initiatives such as #8CantWait, a project introduced by Campaign Zero has called for the demilitarization of police nationwide with an overall promotion of de-escalation tactics.
Black businesses have received overwhelming support from community members as celebrities of all races voice their support around the world.
“If you are Neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
South African cleric, Desmond Tutu’s powerful quote received widespread adoption during the days immediately following Floyd’s death and successfully managed to target those of us, who felt powerless or even cynical about real, meaningful change in this country.
Actor John Boyega even addressed the risks of joining the movement and making a stand, “Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but fuck that.”
Boyega would go on to give a fiery speech, drawing overwhelming support from Hollywood elites and members of the entertainment industry. “Black lives have always mattered,” Boyega told his fellow demonstrators. “We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.”
If anything has become clear these past weeks, It’s that it is not enough anymore to merely denounce racism as it exists or to exercise neutrality, which was now being viewed as a hostile act. In today’s society, one has to actively and publicly showcase their solidarity and support in one form or another or else face being labeled a racist.
WHERE WE GO FROM HERE
Ironically, in the absence of national leadership, I wholeheartedly believe now more than ever that change is inevitable with regards to police brutality in America. Through a united and coordinated front, Black Lives Matter among other civil rights groups have organically and efficiently spearheaded campaigns to defund police departments around the country. In Minneapolis, city council members have already announced their intention to completely disband the police department in their city and instead invest in proven community-led public safety initiatives.
Racism however, is an ever-present threat which can only be dealt with case by case. Yet by continuously holding ourselves and others accountable for racist remarks and/or conduct, we will have succeeded as a society in accomplishing one thing and that is effectively changing the face of racism by addressing our own shortcomings and prejudices.
Thank You all for reading. I know this is far from the stories I normally publish but then again, these aren’t normal times. There is absolutely no room or justification for Racism in any society let alone within the police. I urge every one of you to actively seek change in solidarity with your community and to earn the right to live with privilege. In addition to the initiatives highlighted above, below are a few more organizations you may wish to consider supporting:
