Systemic Racism: Here's What it is and What to do About It
"Stop Killing Black People,” the handmade sign read on the back of the U-Haul. I was on the Ohio Turnpike, coming back from a weekend with my girlfriend who I hadn’t seen in nearly two months, when the crudely made sign caught my attention. It appeared it was written hastily, a thin pen stroke used to write a large message. Each letter was retraced until they were bold enough to be legible from a distance.
There was no question why the sign was taped there.
It was prompted by anger over centuries of injustice and systemic racism, but it was directed at the police.
The Problem
George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin… a Minneapolis police officer. Floyd was accused of using fake money to purchase cigarettes. This accusation led to police involvement and ultimately Floyd’s death. Chauvin and three other officers pinned the man, though it was Chauvin’s knee that crushed Floyd’s neck.
Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breath but to no avail.
Over the course of my four-day-weekend, protests erupted across the US, demanding Justice for Floyd. Major cities burned; the National Guard and local police precincts attempted to control the rioting; looters raided when given the chance. Today, I saw a video of police officers being run over by a large SUV.
Anger and frustration over centuries of oppression had boiled over.
One of my friends explained this well in a recent Instagram post:
“Now of course there are people out there taking advantage of all this to steal and just cause havoc… but for the people that are tearing shit up and burning shit down because they haven’t been heard…. I don’t blame them.
We tried kneeling you said no. We tried peacefully protesting you said no. Want us to shut up? Sounds like slavery.”
All of this in the wake of coronavirus.
unequal chances against a virus
One hundred thousand Americans are dead from a virus that I hadn’t heard of six months ago. Most of the world has been on a lockdown for over two months. And you can witness remaining concern in the protesters and journalists that are wearing masks.
There’s a message in all this.
People are risking their lives, increasing their chances of infection, to protest… but if they don’t, black people are risking their lives in a country that doesn’t seem to care about them.
While some white people believed Obama’s presidency ushered in a post-racist America, that was never true. And Trump’s America exposed that.
The war against oppression is nowhere near over. That can even be seen in the effects of COVID-19.
“Recent data shows that the Covid-19 mortality rate for Black Americans is about 2.4 times higher than for whites. Black people have also been less likely referred for Covid-19 testing and medical care.”
racism is entrenched
Reverend Frederick Douglas Haynes III told The Dallas Morning News, “‘I’m sick and tired of the criminalization and the weaponization of black people…. Our humanity isn’t recognized. We have a policing system that is completely unaccountable for the community it polices.’”
Gromer Jeffers Jr., the author of this article, continues, “Floyd’s death occurred at a time when the world is fighting a pandemic that has an outsize impact on African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and the poor. It showcases their need for jobs, access to quality health care, affordable housing, better education — and respect.”
It feels as if the world is collapsing in on itself, and it’s been mainly caused by the race I was born into, the most privileged on earth: white man.
“Speaking to The Independent through a translator, Chief Raoni [a Brazilian tribal leader], said: ‘The white man seems to be destroying everything. Try to change the way you think and tell your children while they’re growing up that it’s very important to respect nature, to respect indigenous peoples, and not to destroy everything...’”
From colonization to slavery to systemic discrimination, we’ve managed to spew a lot of shit into this world. Even if we didn’t commit these crimes, we’ve obviously benefited from them.
This is readily apparent in education, one piece of the foundation for a better life.
“Education typically leads to better jobs, more money and many other benefits, including better health insurance, which leads to better access to quality health care. Higher earnings also allow workers to afford homes in safer neighborhoods as well as healthier diets.” — American Academy of Family Physicians
“... educational experiences for minority students have continued to be substantially separate and unequal. Two-thirds of minority students still attend schools that are predominantly minority, most of them located in central cities and funded well below those in neighboring suburban districts.... Schools serving greater numbers of students of color had significantly fewer resources than schools serving mostly white students.”
Learn more: ‘Explained | Racial wealth gap’
The solution
So how do we solve a problem that’s existed for centuries and exists at the core of American society?
“‘We need the kind of moral imagination that does not tweak the system, but transforms the system,’ Haynes said. ‘I see this as another opportunity that I hope we don’t blow.’”
Sara Mokuria, co-founder of Mothers Against Police Brutality, explains, “… the nation needs to ‘come to terms with how symbiotic racism — specifically anti-black racism’ impact institutions and then make structural changes ‘that will reimagine our lives.’”
The author concludes, “… the best way to sway public policy is through the ballot box.”
What we can do now
“From protesting to donating to reading, there are many ways to show your support.”
Obviously, there are loads of other actions you can and should take. This is a short list to get started, and the sources I’ve used in this article can be found below.
Feel free to suggest more in the comments below, and I’ll update the article accordingly.
Why I wrote this | Scratching the surface
I’m a white man, and I’ve been beyond privileged in this life. Here’s one example of how I’ve benefited from racism: my grandparents could by a house with ease, without being forced into a subprime loan.
My family was then able to accrue wealth, ensuring I’d have a safe home, access to a healthy diet, and the opportunity for higher education. All of these have allowed me to live happily and healthily.
That’s not to mention the reduced risk of being pulled over by police, experiencing the pain of racism, and much, much more.
But I research when I attempt to better understand a situation, and I write to solidify the information in my mind. Sharing it all with others is simply a positive side-effect.
With this article, I merely scratch the surface of the effects of racial inequality in the US. It’s now up to you and me to continue staying educated and acting on that knowledge.
I hope this helped you understand how racism is still a huge part of the American system. Now it’s time to dismantle that system and build a better one.
Sources
8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody
Curbing police violence against black residents must include stopping systemic oppression
How medical bias against black people is shaping Covid-19 treatment and care
Amazon tribal chief’s SOS: the white man is destroying everything
Cullan McNamara
June 3, 2020
BS, Political Science
MS, Digital Marketing
