BY: CLAIRE KIM
On Monday, May 25th, an innocent black man was murdered, MURDERED by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The man was George Floyd, a regular customer at his local grocery store who ended up handcuffed for signing a supposed “fraudulent” check. He was not arrested with courtesy; he was pressed down by a police officer on the neck to the point where he couldn’t breathe properly, let alone mutter for help. Thousands of people were at the scene, yet throughout his mistreatment, no one, not one person stood up for him. His misery was captured on dozens of phones, yet no action was done to save him. Even other police officers who knew that such behavior was not part of police arrest guidelines, did nothing. They just stood there, arms crossed with a sour expression.
How can a country that pledges the values of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” do absolutely nothing when a person is violated of these rights?
How can a nation who proclaims to be the most progressive and advanced in the world look away when murder, gun violence, or sexual assault occurs right in front of our eyes?
How can we be so ignorant, so hypocritical, so blatantly discriminatory towards others who are suffering?
How can America change the way we “normalize” human dignity?
Racism is not a tendency we’re born with. This is a mindset many people seem to mistakenly affirm when confronting this issue. Racism is nurtured by the people we look up to, idolize, and cherish as role models when we are growing up.
Something as simple as a thank you, a handshake, or a wave is a sign of solidarity, a value that is clearly missing in our culture.
The fact that our culture refers to different groupings of people by skin color “whites”, “blacks”, “browns”, etc., is in itself derogatory. No one should be subjected to a classification that merely resonates with their exterior profile. Humans are layered complex beings. We aren’t any less worthy because of our skin.
In short, being black, or any race, ethnicity, or gender in general, should not be a crime.
To help spread awareness, text FLOYD to 55156. It’s time to speak up now.
claire kim. 