Is The George Floyd Moment Over?
In this first month of 2022, Americans are exhausted by Covid19 and it’s Greek children, especially omicron. There’s a heightened threat of a foreign war with Russia over their seeming commitment to invade the neighbor Ukraine. And then there’s inflation, supply chain hiccups, The Great Resignation and homelessness. And should all of that get resolved we’ll be free to worry about the changing climate that may make our home planet hostile to humanity.
So, yeah. The focus on the plight of Black Americans generally and relationships with the police specifically are not top of mind for most Americans these days.
That said, the issue hasn’t disappeared from our awareness. And 365 Brothers will definitely continue to interview Black men about their loves, their favs, their accomplishments and, of course, the impact of bias and racial profiling on their lives. The question is what’s next? Now that the protests have gone by the wayside as we all cling desperately to the hope of returning to “normal,” how do we keep up the momentum to change policing in the United States? Now that equity in education was hijacked, vilified and re-branded as “critical race theory” how do we ensure that young Black girls and boys receive the education they deserve?
The same way it was done in the mid-1800s when abolitionists educated the population about the ravages and criminality of slavery. The same way that Civil Rights activists in the 1950’s and 60’s educated the non-Southern public about life in the Jim Crow South. We must continue to educate those around us.
In 2022 social media algorithms on platforms like Facebook, YouTube and the lot, have created feedback loops. Existing views are reinforced by our myriad screens. We lack a shared objective dispenser of facts on which we all agree to hold as valid and valued.
The George Floyd moment will only become a moment if we stop sharing our facts, our truth, our experiences. Not everyone will believe. But when enough of us take on the task of having authentic conversations about the reality of bias in policing and its impact, we make George Floyd’s murder a moment within a movement that transforms the United States for the better.
This podcast is a perfect place to start. There are over a hundred interviews with Black men to date. Share their stories. These episodes are one more tool in your arsenal of books, videos and knowledge.
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