Equality and Respect. Those are two things that the black community has been fighting for that we have so far not been able to reach. Since the 1960s, when we really began our organized union towards racism, black people have been finding ways to educate others and find ways for us to finally be viewed as equal and vital parts of the society that we are apart of.
Law enforcement and the government have always played a large part in the systematic racism that we experience, but it has not been until recently that certain acts, such as police brutality
The Black Lives Matter movement was founded in 2013 in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman. Since then, this movement has been a voice for the black community to discuss police brutality against us and other forms of systematic racism. This movement has been extremely vital the last month due to the murder of George Floyd.
Floyd was murdered on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the hands of Officer Derek Chauvin. This incident enraged the black community and several individuals participated in protests and different forms of activism to draw attention to the fact that black people are being killed by systematic racism. Since then, many states all across the country have erupted in riots and have been "looting" from stores and business in all neighborhoods.
Not only is this a very difficult time period due to the pandemic at hand, but the number of deaths of black people by law enforcement is steadily increasing. Before Covid-19 began spreading as quickly as it is and people were forced to stay at home, there were several other black people murdered by police that were not properly handled.
Once the pandemic did begin, black people still had to worry about hits to the community due to racism in the medical field. Even though we only make up 13% of the population, black people have a calculated one-third portion of deaths due to Covid-19.
Regardless of what occurs from this point on, this is going to be a year that is remembered in history for a long time. Stores have been ransacked and burned, people have lost jobs and loved ones, and the White House even turned off the exterior lighting. When the year started, we all knew that there seemed to be trouble in store, but no one predicted this.
The Black Lives Matter movement has not reached a peak nor is it coming to a close, it is only just beginning. Members of the black community are rightfully enraged and demand justice and until we get it, there will be no peace.
Below will be some links that are petitions, ways to donate money towards the movement, and sources that provide more information on how to stay safe while spreading awareness. Remember, Black Lives Matter.
