A 17-year-old girl stood vigilant with her cell phone capturing the brutality that caused George Floyd’s death, posted it on Facebook, and the world came together to protest. George Floyd’s death has sparked days of protests and marching throughout the United States focused on police brutality and racial injustice. There is no justice or peace without accountability. Yes, there were incidences of violence, looting and destruction, but at the end of a week’s time, the crowds were peaceful, and the large diverse gatherings marched together arm in arm in solidarity. All this against a backdrop of armored vehicles, police and national guardsmen dressed in riot gear armed with tear gas and pepper spray. George Floyd’s death sparked protests around the world in support of the US and in the name of justice and accountability. George Floyd’s death has once again given power to the people to come together as one to demand change.
Let’s be clear – The United States was founded on protests demanding change. The Boston Tea Party was one of the first recorded civil uprisings. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of riots, marches, strikes and protests have occurred in this country each with an identifiable cause and call for change. The visible difference between the George Floyd protests and those of history has been the age and the multitude of diverse races and cultures. Police brutality and racism are most frequently directed at our black brothers (and sisters) who form the Black Lives Matter movement. The untold reality is that racism in this country is systemic today to anyone whose skin color is anything but white. Racism is synonymous with discrimination. The many white participants in the George Floyd protest locked arms in solidarity with their black and brown brothers and sisters to take up the demands for change. Other cultures of color who joined in the protests included Latino, Asian, Arab and Native American. These children, too, are told at a young age they are different because of the color of their skin.
Do you feel like 2020 is going to be a lost year? We have spent the past three months at home in pandemic lockdowns trying to avoid the Coronavirus. More than 40 million are without employment and one in six are hungry. As our country opens, we venture out of our homes in the warm summer air in masks to face the new normal. The new normal might very well be to include changes to level the playing field for all of us – we are one people – we are one nation. The injustices to our citizens of color are many and it effects all of us in one way or another. There are six more months left in 2020, it should not be a lost year. Make 2020 the year you strive to be the change in the world where you want live.
Ellie’s Corner is where the minds mingle – I welcome your view, opinions and thoughts to my posts. Let’s have an interactive discussion and ponder how the world can be a better place.
Image by Patrick Behn from Pixabay
Eleanor,
You and I are on the same page here. I had two careers in government before I started writing fiction, the first as a Navy SEAL, and the second as a Lecturer on how to produce “good governance”. The nationwide protests give me hope, but the federal government’s reaction fills me with fear. Government employees do what they’re told (in the Navy we used to say “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.”) Only better leadership will reconsider using force against peaceful protestors – now conflated by the administration with violent mobs.
Paul
I must apologize to you first and foremost for not responding sooner. I am new to this, plain and simple. I think the crazy world we are in is set on a path to collide. Pandemic is still unchecked with the virus now setting sights on schools, social unrest is unchecked and regardless of how a city addresses it, it is wrong. Fires and hurricanes add to the unrest. There is no government leadership or accountability with any of it. The next few months are going to be unsettling so buckle up and hold on for the ride.