Black Lives Matter

I had a different post prepared for today and as I polished it, the memorial service for George Floyd aired in the background. I couldn’t help but think how his life ended so abruptly and in the crudest way possible. How his family must feel! His children left without a father — needlessly because his death was not natural. Racism is an injustice that breeds violence. A cruelty that must surely come to an end.

Could his heinous murder be a turning point? Could it be the much-needed change in America and the world? Every life matters: skin colour, sexual orientation, beliefs, gender, age, notwithstanding.

How is it that those entrusted with the huge responsibility and power to maintain law and order use it to kill and maim the very people they are meant to protect?

Last year I watched the emotive show, ‘When they see us’ and I cried. The 4-part series tells the story of five black men who were falsely accused of attacking and raping a white woman in central park, New York. On Monday 22 June*, in an eerie re-enactment of the film, a white woman called the police claiming an African-American man was threatening her. Why did she feel the need to mention his race in the call? Was it because of her whiteness and his blackness? Was the threat real or imagined?

This incident speaks volumes of how fractured our society is. Sadly it is not an isolated incident. It must be seen as part of a long history of a systemic problem. A cancer that bedevils our society and which must be lanced to heal. There is an urgent need for healing and reconciliation. Forgiveness and healing, however, comes from an admission of guilt and willingness to build bridges from both sides of the racial divide.

How fractured is social cohesion in this day and age that someone feels the need to mention a person’s race to the police to tip the scale in their favour? I hear she retracted or apologised for this and was also fired from her job. Another incident was where, somewhere, a white man was resisting arrest and said to the police, “why are you treating me like a black person?” You form your opinion on that one. In my opinion, it appears that the US police have done a great job marginalising black men and shredding their dignity to such extents that the average person has no qualm disparaging any and all black people. A few hours and miles later on the same day*, George Floyd was murdered — live on camera.

This week, on Tuesday Instagram was ablaze with statements of solidarity from everyone and especially white people (some who try too hard to prove they are not racists), and companies with hiring records that are questionable (not diverse much); statements of solidarity with the family and one voice of no to racism and racially motivated murders. Although in past years many black lives have been lost in the hands of law enforcement, George Floyd’s murder strikes a chord with everyone, and in one voice declared it must stop.

For the last few months, COVID-19 dominated the news channels but since the murder, protests dominate the news — it’s time for change.

A few years ago, Michael Brown and Eric Garner were killed by the police and this elicited large scale protests, however, there was scepticism about the deaths as to what the victims were doing to interest police, or whether the killings were isolated cases of bad policemen but not as a result of systemic racial injustice by the police. George Floyd’s murder appears to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Other than his family and friends, none of us knew George Floyd — what he stood for, what he cared about, what his passions were, his favourite colour, or his favourite tropical fruit — but today we know only the grim way in which he was murdered. Nevertheless, almost everyone is outraged and it’s about time things change. Should the world change this narrative and make his death to mean something?

Maybe the message is breaking through even to the privileged white people. No one deserves to die like that, no one deserves to die in the hands of people who swore to serve and protect, no one, no matter what their crime. I can only hope that the sacrifices people made by breaking social distancing rules to protest are not for nothing. As much as COVID-19 has brought the much-needed cleaner air and clearer rivers, George Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests should change the narrative: irrespective of demographics — wealth, ethnicity, level of education, social status, employment — we are one, we belong to the human race. Peel the largest organ off our bodies and we all look and smell the same.

Its time freedom fighters are let to rest in peace.

In future children will be answering questions like what is COVID-19 and in which year did it become a global pandemic? Or Who was George Floyd and how did his death impact societal attitudes towards racial bias and discrimination? I hope the answers will be positive.

For now, George can rest in peace in the knowledge that the perpetrators of this terrible crime are behind bars and will face the full wrath of the law and justice.