Racism Came To A Head With The Killing Of George Floyd
By: Floyd Mori
Tags: Racism, Hate, Love, Change, Social Medica

Not enough has changed since then

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER on Unsplash

It was a brutal murder by the police

When George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May 2020 after being detained by the police and having a knee placed on his neck until he could not breathe, racism became a major topic of concern. People became outraged at the brutality of police against Black men simply because of the color of their skin. Even though it was not clear that racism motivated the action of the police against Floyd, it seemed that it was a big factor in the mistreatment that he received.

There were many peaceful protests held throughout the United States. People supported the Black Lives Matter Movement. Racism came to the forefront as a huge problem. It was not the first time that people tried to fight against racism against Black peeople. This time it was quite universal as people protested. Some of the protests turned violent with unlawful actions taken by demonstrators.

Has much changed? There has been some change just as there have been some improvements since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to bring the issue of racism to everyone’s attention decades earlier. Not enough has changed, however. There is still racism which faces Black people everyday.

Racism has also become a problem for Asian Americans since the coronavirus pandemic and Donald Trump’s constant reference to blaming China. People listen to him and blame people of Asian background in the United States. There has been an escalation of hate crimes against Asian Americans. Many people have had racist rants hurled at them because they happen to be of Asian heritage.

Black people have suffered from racism for far too long. When famous and successful Black people like Magic Johnson or part Black people like Colin Kaepernick and Barack Obama declare that racism is a problem, we should listen. They have experienced it firsthand. Even being a President of the United States does not shield a person from racism.

Being on social media and having a lot of Facebook “friends” who are Republicans, I have seen many racist posts against Barack and Michelle Obama. Having met them personally a number of times at various events, I can vouch for the Obamas as nice people. My so-called “religious” and “moral” friends on Facebook who support Trump show disdain for the Obamas as they praise Trump. It is unfortunate that such racism prevails in America.

Japanese Americans and immigrants from Japan faced major racism during World War II. The government removed 120,000 persons of Japanese heritage from their homes on the West Coast of the United States and placed them in American concentration camps which were built in remote and desolate parts of the country. Racism and discrimination caused much pain and suffering to an entire innocent segment of the population.

That unjust incarceration should not have happened. George Floyd’s death in such a brutal manner should not have happened. Hopefully, the world learned something from the racism that has been exhibited so that history will not repeat itself. We need to remember and stop racism.

Racism continues today in many forms. Meaningful reform needs to happen in order to make a healthier society. Perhaps it will be improved after January 2021 when Trump leaves office.

There needs to be more understanding, love, and acceptance for racism to end or to be lessened. There will always be division and hatred to some degree. There are too many people who are not willing to accept diversity.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

The masses need to be willing to exercise more love and care than has been shown recently. The past four years have been difficult. We can all do our part if we are willing to accept people and embrace diversity. Racism should not continue in a civilized society.

[Source: The Japanese American Story As Told Through A Collection Of Speeches And Articles, www.thejapaneseamericanstory.com]