Has it been slightly over a month since my last post. As I have said several times before however: "Inspiration is not easily encountered on a daily basis". At times, it is indeed harder to find a topic worthy to write about. Notwithstanding, what happened with African-American citizen George Floyd on May 25th cannot go unnoticed. In the following post, I will touch briefly on racism in America and how it has shaped society today.
Ever since the crime committed that day, countless protests erupted not only throughout The US, but also in countless other countries around the world. Police brutality against African Americans is not a recent occurrence. Be that as it may, this last tragedy was without a doubt the last straw. To name a few examples of recent killings in the past few years: In 2018, citizen Stephen Clark was shot to death by police officers in Sacramento, CA. Only due to the fact that the aforesaid officers mistook his cell-phone for a gun. In 2016, a citizen named Castile was shot dead in his car by an officer outside of Minneapolis. In to 2015, a citizen named Clark was pinned to the ground and shot to death by yet another officer also in Minneapolis. Let us not forget how the Black Lives Matter movement came to be. It did so in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin back in 2012 by a civilian. Activists had had enough by then.
What has been happening in the past week and half since the incident has been quite inspiring. Yet looters and ill-intentioned people have tried to take advantage of the situation as well. Notwithstanding, most protestors are speaking out against injustice and pushing for new policies to protect minorities. Nevertheless, it is not enough to pass new laws. They must be enforced. Not to mention that the requirements so as to become a police officer in The US have to be more strict. Taking into account the mental health of the candidates at all times.
Racism has been around in America for hundreds of years. Slavery was outlawed in 1865 by the Thirteen Amendment of the US constitution. As well as The Fourteen Amendment, which mandated that citizenship and equal protection of the law could not be denied based on race. Notwithstanding, the previous two centuries of slavery had left black Americans at a huge disadvantage. Basically in terms of education, health care benefits and whatnot. It took a long time (several riots and historic speeches) after that however for black Americans to be treated "equally" in society. For instance, to be able to apply to the same schools, universities and jobs as white Americans. To be allowed to vote, among others.
In summary, changes remain to be made in order to realize the dream of countless Americans who wish equity and safety for every single citizen. Irrespective of the fact that The United States remains arguably the most powerful nation on Earth, improvements have to be made as soon as possible. People have to make wiser decisions when it comes to electing their authorities. The power a political leader exerts cannot be unlimited, etc. These violent incidents have only added to the already compounding state of affairs with Covid-19. Albeit, America has resurfaced several times from similar crises. It will not be easy, but it will do it again.
Sources:
- Sapiens - A Brief History of Human Kind by Yuval Noah Hurari.
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