On Memorial Day, May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers who were there to arrest him for allegedly using fake money. One of the officers, after having George restrained in handcuffs and lying face-down, kneeled on his neck for close to nine minutes, three of which he was already unconscious.
There were bystanders watching and recording the scene. Apparently no one moved to help. Such is the fear of dealing with the police in the United States. Nevertheless, the videos were posted and the world saw a man lynched in real-time.
This is not something anyone can ever get used to seeing, no matter how frequently it happens, and there is a long history of lynchings in this country. This time, however, was different. What I saw as I watched the images flood my screen was a complete and total disregard for human life. It was a clear expression of hatred and disdain. The posture of the officer as he kneeled on George’s neck, with his hand in his pocket, the look on his face, and his body language said “I’m going to stay right here until you stop twitching”.
Meanwhile, in New York City, another racially charged incident was unfolding. In an area of Central Park known as the Ramble, a White woman chose to weaponize her White privilege to deliberately put an African-American man in harm’s way because he had the audacity to call her out on breaking a park rule. How dare he! She told him that she was going to call 911 and tell them that an African-American man was threatening her life. Translation: “There’s a n****r who doesn’t know his place and needs to be put down”, and then made the call, employing her skills as a liar, knowing and trusting in the high probability that he would end up arrested and possibly killed by police. She did it purposely, willfully. It’s not like she didn’t know what happens to Black people in this country whenever the cops are called.
From that day I was grieving, but trying to suppress it. For days I tried to convince myself that I was okay after seeing the images and the reports. I tried to be strong. I worked, prayed, voiced my anger and outrage just like everyone else, but I was trying to be strong. By Thursday I was a wreck. I woke up in tears. I prayed, praised God, and sang songs to lift my spirit and prepared myself for work. In between work assignments I was in tears. I cried, wiped my tears away, completed an assignment, and cried some more. This cycle went on for several hours until I decided that I could not go on any further. I needed a day for self-care. I signed off at my regular time and took the next day off. This was necessary because the grief I felt was so intense. I was grieving for George, Breonna, Ahmaud, Atatiana, Sandra, Trayvon, Emmet, those that died in slavery, those who died during the transatlantic voyage, and countless others.
The protests began the day after the murder in Minneapolis and soon spread across the country and then across the globe. People of all races took to the streets in protest of the heinous killing of George Floyd as well as the murders of countless others who have suffered the same fate at the hands of the police and other White civilians who think it is their right and duty to eradicate a group of people for no reason that they can articulate. The Black Lives Matter movement intensified and manifested itself as a huge global force because people are so outraged to the point that they could no longer ignore what they have been seeing on a regular basis for more than four hundred years.
To White people: many of you would like to hide behind the notion that these are isolated incidences, but you cannot ignore the frequency with which these atrocities occur. Nor can you ignore history. Africans were terrorized, hunted, stolen from our land, enslaved, subjugated, and ostracized. Yet you cannot imagine your world without our many contributions.
Many of you say that you are not racists because you claim to have Black friends, yet you turn a blind eye to the past and present actions of your ancestors and your peers? Hypocrites!!
There is a large number of you who recognize the wrongs that have been done to Black People and the privilege you have been born with as a result. Some of you, recognizing the injustices, use that privilege to be allies, doing your part to dismantle the system that eventually hurts everyone, and for that I thank you.
On the other hand, there are those of you who choose to use your privilege to keep a very destructive system in place because you think it benefits you. Each of you must examine your own heart and ask yourself what is it about Black people that you would rather see us eradicated. And be honest. An “I don’t know” is not an acceptable answer now, nor will it be when you find yourself in front of your maker.
To the officers of law enforcement who appeared to join the protesters by taking a knee and marching alongside them, while it seems admirable and a step in the right direction, forgive me for not trusting so quickly in the gesture, because until we see consistency and justice prevailing among your ranks, then your momentary act of solidarity is just a meaningless one-time event. Some of you say that you are not all bad, but your silence makes you complicit. Recognize that a few bad apples do indeed spoil the bunch. Ask yourselves why you joined the force. Was it to serve and protect, or was it to make yourself feel empowered?
Whatever you decide after your self-examinations, just know that we are wide awake and the world is watching.