My Reaction to George Floyd's Murder and Aftermath
I love my country, and have dedicated my life to learning and teaching the history of America. Right now, however, I am furious at the current state of America, angry at the blatant racism and police brutality that has gone unchecked for too long. I am sad that so many people of color constantly live in fear of those whose job it is to serve and protect. At the same time, I am hopeful that America has reached a tipping point in which people in positions of power will finally hear black voices and make real and lasting changes to the systems of oppression that currently dominate America. The recent, tragic and totally unnecessary deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breona Taylor make it abundantly clear that racism continues to exist in America at both an individual and systemic level. Police are three times as likely to shoot black people, and in 2019 black people made up 24% of police killings despite only being 13% of the population ( https...