What is the definition of racism?
“Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.”
There are many different ways of describing what racism is and many different people that are discriminated due to the colour of their skin or where they come from may have stronger opinions about the topic and different ideas about what it means to them as they have all been affected by racism one way or another. Being singled out this way can negatively affect the way someone speaks and acts in front of others, the way people think about themselves and the kind of people they are discriminated by and the they live as a whole.
Modern Racism: BLACK LIVES MATTER
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. A white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on George Floyd’s neck whilst two other white police officers restrained him. After this tragic event people protested globally for the rights of black lives as well as creating memorials for George Floyd. America especially, has had an overwhelming amount of people protesting and many black men and women have died due to police brutality, most of them were killed or harmed whilst peacefully protesting.
George Floyd’s death massively affected people lives around including his 6 year old daughter and his girlfriend who were both left devastated. Impacting the world to create change for people lives who are affected daily just because of the colour of their skin. People won’t accept silence anymore and no one can ignore the suffering of black people any longer. Humanity wants and needs change for the better. In particular people want police brutality to stop, it is completely corrupted into thinking that black people are the cause of most crimes and most of the police force won’t hesitate to suspect a black man or woman of doing something illegal. Evidently, it has been proven that police brutality, especially in America, will go to the extent of murdering human beings even when they are completely innocent.
Innocent black lives killed due to police brutality – know their names
People using their Platforms to Fight Against Racism:
On the 3rd June, the Star Wars actor, John Boyega, even protested and made a memorable speech to encourage the fight against racism: “This is an intense time for our community, and the most important thing is for us to maintain momentum and not lose sight of how critical it is to pursue long-term solutions and commitments, for the sake of our generation, and the next”.
There are countless celebrities who have used their platform to educate people on what’s happening in the world today to do with racism. Millions of people around the world are trying to gain justice for the deaths of innocent black lives.
“Black is being guilty until being proven that you’re innocent”
The title above is one of the many lines in the song “Black” by Dave. This performance was the month before George Floyd’s death but still has large emotional impact on the problems to do with racism at the moment. Many of Dave’s songs have large impact surrounding black lives and educating other on the modern racism still occurring in the world today. An important line in this song is “he’s white you give him a chance, he’s ill and confused, If he’s black he’s probably armed, you see him and shoot” it is an example of black people living fear of the police; the people who are meant to protect society. These lyrics also show how quickly black people are judged by police just because of their skin colour.
“How can the black community dismantle a problem that they didn’t create?”
James Corden briefly touches on the treatment of black lives during global pandemic, particularly in America. More black prople have died from the corona virus due to racism. Hospitals with a large majority of white doctors and nurses in the USA have deliberately not treated black patients with cover, leaving them to suffer even though a large majority of the doctors and nurses that are risking their lives to fight against corona virus are black.
James is also one of many millions who were moved by Dave’s live performance and chose to spread awareness of how important the lyrics were for educating people in todays society.