( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) It’s Been One Year Since the Death of George Floyd and Humankind is Still Struggling
ENSPIRE Contributor: Marianna Poletti Reyes
It’s been one year since George Floyd took his last breath under the knees of the police officer that brutally murdered him. On May 25th, 2020, a 46-year-old African-American man’s life was taken after he was handcuffed and pinned to the ground over a counterfeit $20 bill. From that day, life in the United States has not been the same.
Thousands of people took the streets for weeks in response to the racist acts that were being tolerated in the country. New police killings were happening every day, buildings were being burnt down, and more protests were igniting. The country was divided during one of the hardest years it had experienced.
After an entire year, hopelessness is still a common feeling these days. There aren’t enough minutes in a day to catch up with the horrific acts that have taken place in the United States targeting groups based on their ethnicity, race, culture, and backgrounds.
Say their names.
George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Daunte Wright, Rayshard Brooks, Daniel Prude, Atatiana Jefferson, Antonio Valenzuela, Ma’khia Bryant, and many others.
Mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Roles that many of these individuals had before their lives were taken.
Where does this leave us? In a land labeled as “free” where freedom of speech, religion, and expression is promoted. Where segregation was abolished in 1964. Yet to this day, none of these freedoms really stand if you’re Black, Latino, Asian, LGBTQ+, or a part of other minority groups.
Imagine the fear experienced walking out your front door to go to a gas station, salon, the movies, grocery store, church and being uncertain of whether you’ll be back home safely.
Why does the color of your skin matter? Why does where you’re from or where your family is from place a target on your back on a daily basis? How do we change the world we’re living in? How do we educate and help people understand we are all just human beings?
Humanity is crying for help.
No one in this world should feel more powerful than others because of their race, gender, or religion.
No one should feel entitled to take the lives of others to “make the world a better place.” The world isn’t a better place.
We are all equal.
Black culture and other minority communities have brought new foods, hairstyles, music, dances, fashion statements, and more. What would this world be like without them?
Appreciate the diverse communities in the world. Many of our lives would not be the same.
Stop the murders
Stop the bullying
Stop the inequality
Under what we look like on the outside, we all have the same anatomy. We are all HUMANS.
Humans deserve love, kindness, friendships, forgiveness, and most importantly deserve life.
