First, a disclaimer. As a white man living in Indiana, I don't know how it feels to be oppressed. I don't know how it feels to be treated like a second-class citizen. I don't know how it feels to live in fear of being killed because of the color of my skin. Therefore, I'm not going to act like I know how it feels.
Racism is clearly still a major problem in the world and in America. If you don't believe that, you're delusional. It has always been a problem. The only difference now is that people can film the problem and put it on social media. And you don't have too do much scrolling to find examples of disgusting racism. I'm not just referring to all the racist rants that get posted online. Within the last year alone, a black man (Botham Jean) was killed while eating ice cream in his own apartment, and another (Ahmaud Arbery) was killed while jogging. Jean's killer, a police officer, got 10 years in prison. Arbery's killers were arrested, but only after the video of his murder went viral. Those are just two cases off the top of my head. There are a plethora of other cases.
The institution in place in America was built to be unequal. Black people are more likely to be poor and more likely to be put in jail. White people are afforded more privileges. If you want to see a clear example of systemic racism, just look at how police treat unarmed black suspects versus how they treat armed and dangerous white suspects, or how they treat armed white protesters versus how they treat unarmed black protesters. It can be disturbingly different. This is the result of a racist institution. To quote African-American sociologist W. E. B. Dubois, "A system cannot fail those it was never designed to protect."
To the people who want to point out that not all cops are bad, you're missing the point. The cops who are bad are not held as accountable as they should be. Just because police are put in place to enforce laws doesn't mean they should be exempt from having laws enforced upon them. If a police officer murders somebody, they should be treated the same as an ordinary citizen who murders somebody. Racism and murder are wrong, no matter what uniform you're wearing.
To the people who say "All Lives Matter" or "Blue Lives Matter" in response to "Black Lives Matter", you're missing the point. All lives should matter, but black people are often treated like their lives don't. That is why the BLM movement was started. As supporters have made painstakingly clear, they aren't saying that only black lives matter, they are saying that black lives matter too.
To the people who say that athletes are disrespecting the flag and the military when they kneel for the National Anthem, you're missing the point. They are kneeling because they feel that the country the flag represents does not treat them fairly. When Colin Kaepernick kneeled for the National Anthem, he made it clear to everyone that he was protesting police brutality, not trying to disrespect America or the brave men and women who fight/fought to protect it. In fact, he brought up the fact that many of those brave men and women are not treated well when they return home, and several of them spoke out in support of his peaceful protest. But a lot of people were so focused on being angry at him for "disrespecting the flag" that they didn't actually listen to what he had to say.
To the people who are more bothered by the riots that break out in response to incidents like George Floyd's murder than they are by the incidents themselves, you're missing the point. Rioting may not be the most ideal way to solve a problem, but as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard." This is a powerful and prescient quote from the great civil rights leader. Sometimes, riots are the only way for a group of people to stop being ignored.
Racism isn't going to magically disappear, but there are actions that can be taken, not just by those people mentioned above, but by others, to fight racism. Schools can better educate children about the things minorities have gone through in this country instead of whitewashing history. Politicians can create more just laws and policies, and eliminate the unjust ones currently in place. Police departments can do more extensive vetting and training of officers, and do a better job of punishing them when they overstep their bounds. White people, including myself, can do a whole lot better. We can speak out more against racism. We can contact people in power to let them know that we will not tolerate it. We can support causes that try to fight racism. We can listen to those who experience racism. And we can stop being racist.
I'm just tired. I'm tired of black men being killed for no reason. I'm tired of racist cops not being held accountable. I'm tired of people being more upset at the response to an incident than the incident itself. I'm tired of racism. I can't imagine how those who actually experience it firsthand must feel.
