008 | Black Lives Matter.
Seeing the events unfold, I couldn’t keep quiet - this post is different.
Watching videos upon videos of police brutality over the last few days has made me reflect deeply - I am still learning but here are my open thoughts.
George Floyd was murdered by the very same person who was supposed to be protecting people like him and millions more. From where we are in the UK, it’s easy to feel disconnected from America. Many of us have never experienced the country firsthand but rather our idealistic view comes from movies, music, and TV shows. The picture they paint for themselves is very different from reality.
The vibrant, forward-thinking country with endless opportunities does not exist for many Americans. Watching an episode of Suits, it’s easy to catch myself in Harvey’s feet with an iconic corner office view of Central Park and being able to catch a Knicks game at the weekends. No wonder they call it the American dream. Then I pick up my phone and all of a sudden I’m watching a black man being brutally murdered by a police officer. It’s a painfully familiar occurrence for many people in America.
Events like these are not new. The cry for justice is not a first-time call. Very few people have listened before. It’s likely the same will happen again if we do not act.
‘Be the change you want to see in the world’
It’s easy to feel sheltered from it all. After all, we don’t have a leader who insists we drink disinfectant to cure the virus. But this isn’t a problem exclusive to America. To think in this way would be naive. Racism is alive and well manifested in the UK.
The medium is different, the results are the same: pain, suffering, and hopelessness.
Change has to begin at home. We can cultivate growth and learn. Dismantling institutional racism can start by looking within our inner circles because yes, it is likely to exist there. We can have open discussions with our immediate friends, share resources and correct each other’s misconceptions.
We cannot keep relying on our black friends to do all the work. They have been fighting this battle for far too long and there is still, unfortunately, a tall mountain to climb.
Justice for Floyd.
All lives cannot matter until black lives matter.
Posts I found insightful
My statement on the death of George Floyd:
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) 4:06 PM ∙ May 29, 2020
Rest in Power, Beautiful. @Blklivesmatter honors those we have lost to police violence. #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) 9:39 PM ∙ May 29, 2020
(1/2) Trevor on George Floyd, the Minneapolis protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper:
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) 12:14 AM ∙ May 30, 2020
“While everyone is facing the battle against coronavirus, black people in America are still facing the battle against racism… and coronavirus.”
I could not go ahead with my usual weekly post given all that’s currently happening. If you resonated with this, please feel free to share it!
For next week, I’m writing a piece on how I retain most of what I read and producing an accompanying reading list to go with this - stay tuned!
About Me
I’m Yath and I am a medical student at UCL.
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