Although racism is not a new development in the United States, the death of George Floyd pushed many colored and white Americans to the breaking point. The blatant systemic racism has left many people in the United States and globally yearning for change, and willing to fight to make it happen. However, his death has not only affected Americans, it has had a profound effect on more than 60 countries who have taken a moment to look into their prejudices and biases to see what changes should be made. Demonstrators from Australia to Europe identified with the cause of US protests and urged their governments to address racism and police violence. This event -as terrible as it is- has caused a global movement that will shape the lives of generations to come.
This moment in history has also caused citizens transnationally to look into their government flaws. It has shone a light on the reactions of leaders across the world who are trying to handle the outcry over generations of racism. Although the death of Floyd has had a more significant impact on the African-American community, people are taking this chance to protests the treatment of other minorities such as Latinos and Native Americans by law enforcement and the justice system as a whole. As protests over police racism and racial inequality have spread to all 50 U.S.states and 2,000 cities since the death of George Floyd, the world has been watching.
Demonstrators have marched through streets or gathered at U.S. embassies in Canada, the U.K., Germany, Australia, and more, both to express solidarity with American protesters and to highlight systemic inequalities at home. According to the Times magazine, "The world’s media is paying attention too. Front pages and editorials from France to Mexico to China have discussed Floyd’s death, the violent repression of protesters by law enforcement, and the divine response to the protests mounted by President Donald Trump". Donald Trump has done nothing but continue to antagonize the situation by calling the demonstrators "thugs,” using the military against the protestors, and defending the officers responsible for these deaths by calling them "good people.” These officers who committed felony-level crimes not only remain free but continue acting as law enforcement, with only a handful of offenders getting punished. This lack of justice is partially due to city, county, and state officials feeling a sense of responsibility to police officers and being unwilling to prosecute them, which has been a common thread in many police brutality cases around the world. This behavior has to change, the people responsible for the deaths of Americans, such as Breonna Taylor deserve to be punished, and as has been shown, Americans are willing to demand that punishment.
Now I know that none of us have enough sway in the government or in the opinions of every American to end racism. However, there are still things everyone can do. The most critical being asking oneself and others, "how am I contributing to this problem?". Because like it or not, everyone has said, done, or stood by as something racist has occurred. Furthermore, educating oneself on these essential matters is also crucial (below, I will leave some book recommendations). Although starting with oneself is hugely important, there are even more significant steps one can take that are easy and essential, one being voting. All Americans have the responsibility to vote, and if more Americans vote for local officials that are willing to prosecute racist officers, more officers responsible for the deaths of everyday Americans will be justly punished.
This movement has gone far beyond "Black Lives Matter" this has become a movement about fundamental human rights. Rights that all people should never feel as though they are in jeopardy of losing because of the color of their skin. As the world will hopefully continue to make policy changes and reinstate more qualified and educated law enforcement officers, I hope that no more deaths come from racial inequality.
Sources:
Nugent, Ciara, and Billy Perrigo. “How the World Reacted to Protests Over George Floyd's Death.” Time, Time, 2 June 2020, time.com/5846698/world-reactions-george-floyd-protests/.
Book recommendations concerning this topic:
White Fragility by Robert Diangelo
Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Renni Eddo-Lodge
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum
TV Shows/ Movies to watch:
13th
When They See Us
Blackkklansman