The outrage and protests over the senseless killing of George Floyd coupled with the brutality and callousness often shown by police against Black men have caused the general public to pause and consider racism a serious problem in this country. . It has been a problem for many, many years. Overcoming racism will not be easy, but it is a worthy goal.
Thirty years have passed since Rodney King was beaten by police in Los Angeles. The deal was caught on camera and shown to the nation. This caused outrage at the time, resulting in riots in Los Angeles for many days. The resulting violence, looting, and deaths didn’t help with the message that the police were treating black men unfairly, but the public knew why. The white police officers involved were acquitted, although a civil trial later found two of them guilty. Not much has changed.
Colin Kaerpernick chose to try to bring the issue of police brutality against black men to the forefront when he was a professional football quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers. After being convinced to kneel instead of sit during the National Anthem, he was joined by other players in the protest. He wasn’t doing it for himself, but for the good of black men across the country. He was severely criticized and was rewarded with the loss of his job and his career. He didn’t change much else.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife were leaving a professional football game in Indianapolis when several players knelt during the national anthem. He was sending his own message that they were not respected. They were accused of disrespecting the American flag or the military. That was not the case. The protests that sought to draw attention to the problem of racism in the United States fell on deaf ears.
Finally, after the tragic murder of George Floyd and pressure from several Black professional football players, the NFL made a statement that they are against racism and that Black Lives Matter. These players obviously “made it” but are worried about other black men not being given a chance. The NFL made no mention of Colin Kaerpernick and the fact that he had tried to bring up the issue years before by taking a knee. The NFL had the platform to help bring about change, but they chose not to listen and punished Kaerpernick instead.
Asian Americans and other ethnic minorities have also faced racism and discrimination. Racism and hatred of people other than the majority were the main reasons Japanese Americans were unjustly incarcerated in camps during World War II. Racism is the reason Vincent Chin, a young Chinese-American man about to marry, was brutally beaten to death by unemployed autoworkers in Detroit. Asian Americans are facing hate from racists again during the coronavirus pandemic.
Asian American groups stand in solidarity with Black people in the fight against racism in America. Mostly white people seem to be at many of the anti-racism protests taking place across the country. It is time to change.
Many African Americans have achieved great success. They have overcome the problems of racism and discrimination. They were given the opportunity to succeed. They took on the challenge and succeeded.
Racism is one of the main reasons many people refuse to succeed. If racism is eradicated, more black people will have a better chance of success. If black youth do not confront racism at all times, it will be easier for them to believe in themselves and overcome the difficulties they face.
It’s time for successful people of all races to give back and be willing to help others. Some of the wealthiest people among us are doing it by providing money, scholarships, and support. It’s rewarding to watch and can have far-reaching benefits if all people are given a fair chance in life to succeed regardless of the color of their skin. Overcoming racism will give a large group of people a more equal chance of success.
