A summer full of confusion, anger, and disgust is the perfect way to describe the summer the United States endured last year. The events that transpired during the summer of 2020 left a bitter taste in the mouth of many citizens and left sectors of people angry and begging for justice. Not only was the country fighting the worldwide pandemic known as COVID-19, but it was also fighting a plague that has haunted the country for centuries, the plague known as racism and systemic injustice. For years the country has tried to sell the citizens of the United States of America the usual propaganda of “we are working on fighting injustices” and “we are making progress as a country.” However, the harsh reality is that progress has not occurred fast enough. In fact last year opened the eyes of many to the massive amounts of injustices that still exist in the country which leads to the massive atrocities that headlined the news all of 2020. The summer of 2020 should be used as a precedent for change as the citizens were witnesses to some of the most blatant evidence of systemic injustice and oppression that caused the country to come to a halt and decide to protest massively in scenes reminiscing of the civil rights movement.
In one of the most perturbing and graphic videos I have seen we saw an unarmed man be violently detained and choked for over eight minutes until he lost his life at the hands of the police. George Floyd is a name that will forever be remembered, because unfortunately he became another victim. Another victim of the excessive force police use on people of color, another victim of the over policing that occurs in minority neighborhoods, another victim of police brutality, another victim of systemic injustice, and above all another victim of America. George Floyd paralysed a nation because for over eight minutes we see a grown man helplessly lie on the floor as a police officer has his knee over his neck restricting his ability to breath. George Floyd felt powerless and all he could do was cry and yell for his mother and his children as the police officers stood over him watching his last few seconds of life slip away with no remorse whatsoever. This scene is infuriating but it is very symbolic of the system in America. While the majority in this case white Americans stand tall the minorities are down begging for help and justice. The whites demonstrate power at the expense of the lives and liberty of the minorities.
The haunting video is something that will forever be remembered in the history of the nation. A video this graphic and this infuriating had not been seen since the beating of Rodney King at the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department. The attention the murder of George Floyd got peaked the interest to many other cases of unjust police force against the black community. The names of Breonna Taylor and later on in the year Jacob Blake made national headlines as Breonna Taylor was killed unjustly due to a no knock warrant, and Jacob Blake another unarmed black male was shot in the back by a police officer as he was checking on his kids. The Black Lives Matter movement once again started to gain prominence and black voices were finally being heard after being silenced for hundreds of years. While slavery ended years ago the discrimination and the suppression of the black community still continues to this day. The literal chains and shackles came off but in place a system was created that restored the chains and shackles and silenced the community.
For years the white citizens of America have enjoyed their stay at the top of the social hierarchy at the expense of minorities. As Simone De Beauvoir explains there is a relationship dynamic known as the one and the other that accurately describes this relationship. The one is the person that seeks to establish themselves at the top of the social hierarchy and be the dominant sector of people, but as she mentions to truly be dominant they have to establish another sector of people as inferior or as she calls it they have to establish the “other.” This relationship dynamic is what led to the creation of a system full of injustices that allows the white sector of America to be far more suited to thrive while the black sector of America struggles to even survive. This relationship dynamic is to blame for what happened to George Floyd because it is this relationship that created the system that leads to an us versus them mentality that has fueled years of prejudice and discrimantion. That prejudice and discrimination led to a police system that already expects people of color to be a criminal before a proper investigation has taken palce. This system is what fuels an officer to feel “threatened” by an unarmed black civilian who is simply confused as to why excessive force is immediately used on them. Police officers feel threatened by the color of a minority’s skin because the system created a misconception that they were the stereotypical criminals who were menaces to society. This system is single handedly responsible for the deaths and unjust incarceration of many black people in America.
For years the black community has been the subaltern in America. During the dark history of America they were enslaved and used for arduous labor thus they were simply treated as property who had no say in anything. Not only were they denied their rights as citizens but they were denied basic human rights and at some point were even considered three fifths of a person. As Dr. King mentioned they were asked to “wait” and be patient for reform but as he stated in his Letter From Birmingham Jail the black community understood that sitting down and waiting for change was not an option. They were frustrated because they understood that the word “wait” meant never and they chose to not simply sit with their arms crossed and instead chose to speak up. However, no matter how much they spoke up in true subaltern fashion they were ignored and their pleas were met with resistance and violence. The black community was tired of being vilified and targeted for simply having a different color of skin, but their attempts at asking for justice have fallen on deaf ears for years. In recent years the cases of police brutality have sparked a nationwide debate especially when Colin Kaepernick chose to use his platform to protest against police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick was a high profile celebrity when he began his protest as he was an NFL star who even played in Super Bowl yet even he was ignored. His message was completely ignored as people focused more on the action of him kneeling as opposed to the reason as to why he was kneeling. His decision to continue to kneel as a form of protest ended up costing Colin his career as no team has given him a chance since that season. What happened to Mr. Kaepernick is indicative of the term subaltern and it is a demonstration as to what society has done to black folks every time they speak up.
Being a person of color in America is not easy. Being a person of color in America means that there is a genuine fear that you could be the next victim of police brutality. Having to fear if you are going to die when an officer stops you is a disheartening feeling but it is the reality of America. The sad reality of an America who has continuously justified the murders of black civilians at the hands of the police. The truth is that these occurrences are not accidents, they are not mistakes in which a cop panicked or felt threatened. The sad and unjust reality of all of this is that these deaths are a result of the system. This is how everything was designed and none of this will stop until proper systematic reform is done. America created a system that persecutes minorities, especially black and brown people. From the over policing of these communities to the representation of these people in shows and movies. George Floyd was the latest victim of the American system. George Floyd’s tragic murder should not be another statistic. He should not be just another name added to a far too extensive list of unarmed people of color being unjustly killed by police officers. George Floyd’s murder should be used as a benchmark that brings about changes in the system. His death opened the eyes of many to the systemic injustice in America and the lack of adequate punishment for officers who are responsible for the murders of civilians. The death of George Floyd should be forever engraved in our minds. His horrendous murder should be the final straw that pushes people to continue protesting and continue to fight for reform until change is made. His death should bring an end to the long overdue wait for justice and equity.