Black Lives Matter

Last year was a bit of a rollercoaster, don’t you think? With COVID, bushfires, US elections… One of the major events during this period, however, had something to do with the increasing concerns of a particular issue, that being racism and discrimination. Hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter and #BLM were dominating at certain points this year, peaking at 3.7 million tweets a day, along with the creation of numerous protests and petitions all around the world. During this time, others that were discriminated against because of their race also decided to step up and have their voice heard.

How did all of this drama and chaos originate though? This all started due to the death of an African American, George Floyd, who was killed due to police assault, just for using a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase cigarettes! What was significant in this event was that, although his case was not proven guilty yet, he sadly died since he was pinned to the ground by an officer’s knee, just because he was ‘black’. This issue of discrimination is not unheard of though. In many past occasions, African Americans also received unfair treatment from others, such as separate facilities (toilets), and often being the second choice. There was also less consensus about the treatment of ‘blacks’ in other situations, such as when applying for a loan or mortgage or in stores or restaurants.

Although the act of racism has greatly improved over the years, there is still a lot we can do. Some steps to overcome this are:

• Acknowledging its existence- Make sure you are aware that this is a constant issue.
• Committing to anti-racism- Spreading awareness should be encouraged.

Take action to stop discrimination.