Written By: Sravika Pillarisetty and Arushi Mundergi
“Americans are more divided than ever, gridlocked over social issues, race, gender and the economy” (Associated Press). With so many opinions across the nation, it is difficult to satisfy everyone; however, our country’s growing rift is only getting worse. For decades, we have been fighting for what we believe in, and we go to lengths to get our voices heard by other communities and politicians. A current opinion breaking many hearts and enraging many people across America is racial inequality between the African American community and white community. For over 400 years, the African American community has faced oppression, whether they were slaves, citizens, or trusted community members. An Oxford dictionary defines oppression as “the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control” (Lexico). Many organizations have developed a stand against the oppression; a large group supported by many is called Black Lives Matter. Their goals and mission are “to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes” (Black Lives Matter). They fight for equality in the African American community and change an issue that has been plaguing our world for centuries; they want to create equality between everyone.
There are two sides to the story, and human nature plays into both. One side is how African Americans are being impacted negatively. The Pew Research Center says, “Most adults, regardless of race or ethnicity, say blacks are treated less fairly” (Pew Research Center). The stereotype of treating African Americans cruelly has been passed down from generations, and most people see that trend in the present more than ever. The other part of the story is how white-colored people are treated. The Pew Research Center says, “A majority of adults say that being white helps people’s ability to get ahead in the country at least a little (59%)” (Pew Research Center). Most of our communities believe there is a white privilege given to white-colored people, which in turn affects their thoughts and beliefs. African Americans believe they are being treated unfairly compared to white-colored people. Many whites claim there is no privilege and that they have every right to treat African Americans the way they are being treated.
We are still fighting for human rights, but where did the issue begin in the first place? January 31, 1865 was the day that served as the end of all slavery in America. April 4, 1968 was the resolution of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. It was the end of many events that occurred because of the retaliation against injustice towards African Americans. It was the seed that sprouted and grew into the universal glimmer of hope in the fight against racial inequality. It was a consensus between two nationalities, now breached and broken beyond repair, after only 52 short years. That fateful day 52 years ago was when we promised each other that when we turned the corner, we would gaze into the eyes of our brothers and sisters, and look at them, not in hatred, not in spite, but in love, in equality. As stated before, African Americans were mistreated for 400 years, but they kept on mustering their strength, knowing that one day they would escape from the cruelties of the world. Year after year, they worked on bettering their living conditions, securing a future for their children, and leaving behind the world as they knew it and stepping into an alternate dimension where everyone was viewed alike. Because of these hopes, the Civil Rights Movement was started in 1954. It began because of a simple act by a great woman, Rosa Parks. For refusing to give up her seat in a bus, Parks was treated horribly and sentenced to jail, all because of her denial. This defiance, as one may call it, was the first step towards ending racism and discrimination. It was the first action that started the cascade of minor revolts all started for a shot at a better life. This resistance was created to complete the dreams of so many across the nation, in hopes of a finer, admirable world.
With all of the heart wrenching history, what is currently happening in our country? Many people are heartbroken about how African Americans are being treated and served, especially African Americans. Many people especially despise police brutality towards African Americans. “... staging protests. The demonstrations were triggered by the death of 46-year-old George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Floyd, a black man, died while a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes” (Peters). George Floyd repeated again and again that he could not breathe, and called for help. People crowded around yelled for the officer to get up and tried to push through the officers. Police brutality has gotten worse over the years, and that enrages many communities. " ‘I'm not going to lie — I am angry," said Ellington ..."To be black in America, you have to hope someone recorded your compliance because you may no longer be around to defend yourself," (Peters). The cruelty is harsh on African Americans as they have to struggle every day working but must cope with the everlasting fear that they and their families have no choice but to cope with.
In addition, many people are speaking out about their opinions on social media, and attending peaceful protests. Many people are so frustrated with this that they have taken action by peacefully protesting, “a period when hundreds of thousands of people in the USA and other countries protested against racism and police violence and to demand that Black lives matter” (Amnesty International). However, with peace comes chaos and recklessness: “Some protests have become violent, marred by looting, clashes with police and countless arrests, and several state officials have enacted curfews” (Peters). Many people took advantage of the protests, and along with that, defaced private and government property. Rage compels humans to make questionable decisions: “Cities are burning. Not just with fires but with anger” (Peters).
As a result of the recent events, how has our leaders of America handled the situation? Our government is also arguing on how to go about the situation at hand, but we have had some leadership action. Many news stations and people on social media have voiced their opinions of the actions that have been taken. According to many news stations and citizens, President Trump hasn’t been very happy with the protests and Black Lives Matter Campaigning. It is said that he tends to verbally attack any organization advocating change on social platforms such as Twitter. On June 25, 2020, President Trump tweeted, “Black Lives Matter leader states, “If the U.S. doesn’t give us what we want, then we will burn down this system and replace it”. This is Treason, Sedition, Insurrection!” In simple words, he says the Black Lives Matter organization is trying to abolish the government, and that they are committing betrayal.
Furthermore, President Trump has also called to use his power as president to use the Insurrection Act of 1807. What is the Insurrection Act of 1807? This allows the president to release the military in order “to suppress, in any State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy.” On June 1, the President declared during his speech at the Rose Garden, “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them”. There were many backlashing comments all over the internet as soon as the video went viral.
With many events happening all too quickly, how are many people educating themselves and participating in the movement? Many people believe in fighting for equal rights for the African American community. There are many organizations, including a large organization called Black Lives Matter that are fighting for the same cause. There are many organizations out there that are very inclusive of their ideas and thoughts, and will be with them every step of the way for the fight for equality. They’re part of the movement that changes history forever. Every person matters, no matter their race, color, creed, class, or gender. Another important tool they use is their voice and their right vote to make that change. Everyone’s opinions matter. Everyone’s thoughts matter. Everyone’s actions matter. They use their voices to broadcast their thoughts and opinions. When fighting for equality and justice, electing politicians and officials that have the people’s morals, matters. When their part of such a movement, it is very important to have officials with government power that can help make a change. They use their abilities as a citizen to do their part. Everyone’s vote matters, it makes a difference. If their not a citizen, they have the power of persuasion. Persuading people to do the right thing makes a huge difference. Their words can change someone’s heart, someone’s way of thinking. To help their organization and government officials, it is crucial for them to donate to Black Lives Matter organizations, and sign as many valid petitions as they can.
Many of the world’s problems are crashing down, but it is important to keep your peace of mind and focus on making a change for one dilemma at a time. Right now, we went over the oppression the African American community has faced over centuries, how police brutality comes into play, the active protesting, the leadership actions that have been taken, and how we can be a part of this movement. However, this issue is caused by a large number of factors, and of them is fear. Just for a moment, imagine living a life where, from a young age, you are taught to always promptly comply with the police officers. You are taught to constantly put up with being targeted by people, but you know that that will not stop you from achieving your dreams. The fear of being subjected to racism follows you everywhere as a dark cloud, shadowing your every move, not letting a single second of peace pass by. The teachers who once taught you in care, now punish you relentlessly, instead. Suddenly, your “kind” is seen as a threat to all others. You, your family, your world is reduced to an insignificant state of nothingness, just a bug in the system. This scenario that flits by in a millisecond displays a common theme that is etched into the minds of young and old alike: fear. Mr. Jeffrey Winters, a therapist writes, “Despite our better nature, it seems, fear of foreigners or other strange-seeming people comes out when we are under stress. That fear, known as xenophobia, seems almost hardwired into the human psyche” (Winters). Everyone is always scared of each other, and that is because humans are wired to fear the unknown. However, our fear sometimes drives us to take extreme actions. Actions that lead to unimaginable consequences, necessitating dire decisions in times of need that hurt us even more than heal us. With every life taken unnecessarily, and for every injustice gone unsolved due to greed and bias here in our country, where we live, where our families and friends live; it makes many people question whether our rights are actually our rights. Whether our system serves us our justice. These are questions yet to be answered, but will our current situations change? Will we get equality? We scour the world far and wide searching for happiness and love, failing to notice that they have long been in us all. Thus far, however, we still choose to spread hate rather than our inborn qualities of love and high-spirits. If for one day, the world’s frowns would be turned upside down, if for one day mortal perils didn’t fill the earth, if for one day evil didn’t fill our hearts, imagine how our lives would be. Imagine that one fine day, when our aspirations for this world would be fulfilled. Imagine that day where nothing but love filled us all.
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