THE ACTUAL DEFINITION OF RACISM IS: 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.

A SIMILAR DEFINITION IS THE BELIEF THAT DIFFERENT RACES POSSESS DISTINCT CHARACTERISTICS, ABILITIES OR QUALITIES, ESPECIALLY SO AS TO DISTINGUISH THEM AS INFERIOR OR SUPERIOR TO ONE ANOTHER.

RACISM CAN AFFECT ANYONE AT ANY AGE, ANY RACE, ANY ETHNICITY.

RACISM CAN MANIFEST ITSELF ITO MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS INCLUDING INDIVIDUAL RACISM, SYSTEMATIC RACISM, INSTITUTIONAL RACISM, STRUCTURAL RACISM ETC.

THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD WHO WAS A BLACK MALE, KILLED ONLY FOR BEING ACCUSED OF FORGING A CHECK BY A POLICE OFFICER LEANING ON HIS NECK UNTIL ASPHYXIATION. THIS HAS SPARKED RIOTS AND PROTESTS GLOBALLY IN ORDER TO GET RID OF POLICE BRUTALITY AND THE PREJUDICE POLICE SEEM TO HAVE AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE.

RACISM HAS EXISTED ALL OVER THE WORD, GEORGE FLOYD HOWEVER, GOT KILLED IN AMERICA, A COUNTRY INFAMOUS FOR RACISM.

BETWEEN 1525 AND 1866, 12.5 MILLION BLACK PEOPLE WERE KIDNAPPED FROM AFRICA TO THE AMERICAS THROUGH THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE. THIS WOULD’VE BEEN THE INITIAL SPARK TO RACISM, AS BLACK PEOPLE WERE NOW SEEN AS SLAVES AND ESSENTIALLY LESS SUPERIOR TO WHITE PEOPLE.

SLAVE WERE BEATEN, RAPED, LOOKED DOWN UPON AND MANY OTHER HORRIFIC THINGS ONE WOULDN’T WISH TO EXPERIENCE THEMSELVES, THEY WERE TREATED HOW NO HUMAN WOULD WISH TO BE TREATED. THEY WERE DEHUMANIZED.

EVEN WHEN THE SLAVE TRADE WAS MADE ILLEGAL, AND EVENTUALLY STARTED TO DIE DOWN. RACIAL INEQUALITY STILL OCCURRED. POLL TAXES EFFECTIVELY DISENFRANCHISED AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS, AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT IN WORLD WAR 1 AND 2 WERE TREATED LIKE SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, BLACK INNOVATORS WERE BARRED FROM FILING PATENTS FOR THEIR INVENTIONS, WHITE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS EXPLOITED BLACK WOMEN’S BODIES, TRAVEL WAS SEGREGATED WITH THE WHITES HAVING TO SIT AT THE FRONT AND THE BLACK PEOPLE AT THE BACK, THIS SEGREGATION ALSO HAPPENED IN SCHOOLS.

IN ADDITION TO ENDURING CENTURIES OF ENSLAVEMENT, EXPLOITATION AND INEQUALITY, AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE LONG BEEN THE TARGETS OF RACIALLY CHARGED PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. MORE THAN 4,400 LYNCHINGS AND MOB KILLINGS TOOK PLACE IN THE US BETWEEN THE END OF RECONSTRUCTION AND WORLD WAR 2. SURPRISINGLY, THE SENATE ONLY PASSED LEGISLATION DECLARING LYNCHING A FEDERAL CRIME IN 2018!

THIS IS ONLY HALF OF THE SUFFERING THAT BLACK PEOPLE HAVE ENDURED OVER THE YEARS. MANY PROTESTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE OVER THE YEARS. MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS BLACK ACTIVISTS WHO BECAME THE MOST VISIBLE SPOKESPERSON AND LEADER IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT FROM 1955-1968.

ALL THIS HISTORY, HAS TRIGGERED THE PROTESTS OVER GEORGE FLOYD AS RACISM AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE IS STILL OCCURRING TODAY. THIS DIAGRAM BELOW SHOWS THE PREJUDICE AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE OR PEOPLE FROM OTHER ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS EXCEPT WHITE, EXPERIENCING THE FEAR OF BEING SHOT BY POLICE JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE OF A DIFFERENT ETHNICITY.