Within eight minutes and forty-six seconds, George Floyd, a Black man, was killed by police officers because of a dispute over a counterfeit $20.00 bill. He was never charged. He was never taken to court. He never received a trial. Yet, he paid the ultimate price. Were it not for cellphone video documenting his torture, the police claim that he had resisted arrest would never have been proven a lie, and we would never have heard of him.
Instead, something urgent is happening in response to a long line of systemic racial and ethnic injustices — America is experiencing a perfect storm. It is a storm risen from continued racial killings topped by a debilitating pandemic topped by an economic recession that is laying bare the deep inequalities in our society that can divide us, topped by years of unchallenged minority health disparities topped by growing inequities for people of color topped by a broken criminal justice system.
This pivotal moment in our country’s history must also be a time for action. We need to face the long history of violence against African Americans. For too long we have papered over the inequalities suffered by and violence against people of color — even going so far as to blame them for their own poverty and pain.
It is time for our nation to come together in support of basic human and civil rights through action. We must act to bring new focus to disparities and inequities in health, education, economic justice, immigration, and criminal justice reform. We must embrace the principles of Black Lives Matter, Women’s Rights Are Human Rights, No Person Is Illegal, and Love Is Love. We must be resolute and make the necessary changes to support human dignity of all people yearning for a better life.
We all must do our part to build an America where justice, equity, and opportunity are available to all.
We have to make a change; each one of us can make a difference.
TIME FOR ACTION
Now more than ever, we are called upon to make a difference.
