With the recent news of George Flyod’s murder in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breona Taylor’s in Kentucky, the public outrage and protests all convey a simple message, “This isn’t right, please end this.” If you’re not one to read the papers on a consistent basis, police brutality in the United States have been getting a lot of attention, especially because an alarming rate of black men, boys and women have been shot simply because they just happened to be there. Not to mention that police brutality has been going on since 1963. The only reason we might have been able to hear it in a more holistic fashion is because sectors of society and more influential leaders have begun to collaborate and stand up to it.
According to an analysis on law enforcement on the LA Times, 1 in 1,000 black boys can expect to die at the hands of the police, making them 2.5 times more likely white men and boys to die during an encounter with a law enforcement official. Not only does does this fact raise alarming questions but the simple notion, that racial inequality of black people and law enforcments are anything but a mere “coincidence.” It’s no secret that stereotypes are still alive and kicking, but as global citizens, we can stand up against this injustice and do something about it.
There’s so much that needs to be done, so much to be said and a lot that needs to be changed. Question is, how can we as a society help? Where do we start? How can we change a current phenomenon that carries so much injustice and systems that supports racial inequality? Here’s a solution: We try and keep trying.
Here’s what we can do:
- Listen, really listen to each other.
This is the advice we have been telling ourselves for awhile now. However, have we really listened to the struggles black people have to go through on a daily basis? From redlining, discrimination at the workplace, unwarranted searches, imprisonment of minorities and more, we need to know if there is something we do not know or understand, we need to ask and listen. It is okay not to have the answer to everything. It is okay not to know. But when we do know, we hold that power in our very hands to do what we can to stop it.
2. Doing the research ourselves.
While we can quickly jump to conclusions people have created, it is important that we decide how we feel about it ourselves. They say knowledge is power, but it is our own conclusions and thoughts that can provide a more thought provoking and collaborative atmostphere on the road to recovery. On the subject of police brutality, black men are 53 times more likely to die from homicide, according to an independent research study. Knowing this should not only prompt the “why” in our heads, but it should also increase the sense of urgency within us, that everything is far from alright. What has been done to stop this? What has worked? What is not working?
Not only do we need to question the systems itself, but we need to question ourselves, “Are we conversing about this topic in a holistic manner?” Do we need to change the way we talk about it on social media? With our friends? The answer is probably yes and we need to know how.
3. Advocate, advocate, and advocate.
For those who live in the States, it helps to reach out to your representative and exert pressure on them to start making a difference to this cycle of violence. In addition, donating time to learn, resources and help organizations who are working on making a difference.
As for those who do not live in the States, you’re probably wondering why you should even care about this issue. As a writer, I cannot convince you to care, but all I can tell you that this problem is very real and if this was happening to individuals of Asian descent, I know I would want individuals with initiative to try to address this issue and do something about it.
Do all of these items sound like work? Effort? The notion to care? Yes. But as a global citizen, I encourage you to realize that this issue needs more than just black people to advocate against it. Not only do we as a society need to address when something is wrong, we need to realize that what we teach ourselves needs to be recalibrated and re-strategized.
To conclude, as a non black person, I recognize and acknowledge that this is a conversation that needs everyone to participate and take action. Because I also realized that this was not just about the fact that we needed to advocate for reform, but that in trying times, we need as many voices as possible to stand against this. While there might not be quick change, we need to hold on to the hope that real change can happen.
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Photo Credit: Courtesy of WordPress
Notes:
To make contributions to this movement, sign or share this list of petitions to ensure justice can be served: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-He4uzB2k0oBybIfQZ_B9uulDYlmfv3GzRkILdSUQNw/mobilebasic
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