The subject of the death of blacks at the hands of police is something that has gained national and worldwide attention for many years. According to newsweek.com, “at least 200 black people were killed in 2021.” Additionally, Northeastern News found that at least 123 black people were killed from 1932 to 1968 in one area in Alabama, such as Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X. The death of Emmett Till in 1955 sparked the first Civil Rights Movement. The men accused of killing these individuals got to walk free and go home, while the families had to find a way to move on without their son or grandson. In 2015, Sandra Bland was found dead in her jail cell. She was the first broadcasted person of color to be killed, and the Black Lives Matter movement was born. Sometime after this, people started to put up blue tape and paint on items to express solidarity with the police force. They started calling it Blue Lives Matter. This made a lot of people mad because police were getting a lot of support for their actions and black people were not getting the same respect. During the time of COVID, Blue Live Matter masks were produced, among other products. People like to say all lives matter, but when was the last time another race or ethnicity was killed or hurt based on the color of their skin?
On January 6, 2021, insurrectionists in support of President Trump stormed the Capitol to stop the counting of legal election votes certifying Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. What do you think would happen if a black police officer opened fire and killed a white civilian trying to break into the Capitol? Let’s go back to the formula of a white police officer and a black civilian. What would happen to him or her? People seemed pretty upset when a black police officer shot a white civilian, which contributed to much negative press. However, when a white police officer kills a black person, people claim that he is “just doing his job.” Do you see how this midneset can affect a young black child? Imagine hearing this as a child. “The black police officer could go to jail, what about the rights of the white woman.” I am a a feminist, so as a woman, I totally belive we all have rights. However, as an African American, it feels demoralizing and dehumanizing to think that black police officers would go to jail for doing the same thing as other officers on the force. White police officers say that they acted in self-defense and that they did not mean to kill a black individual. At what point do they ever check if the innocent black man or woman they killed is okay?
It is sad to think that racism, after 400 years of oppression, is still here. It seems to have grown since COVID. No one should have to fear for their lives and no one should have to always wonder if they’re next. There is a way to stop the killings of unarmed black men and women. It is very sad to see that 200 black people were killed in 2021 alone. More attention needs to be placed on the innocent black lives that were taken by the force of police officers.
These findings have led me to wonder if racism is in the shadows now. George Floyd’s death sparked a wake up call for the United States, which was a long time coming. Police reform is a great idea to end once and for all the battle between black and white Americans. To finally keep a family from grieving. For black Americans, it is important to stop the assumptions, the oppression and the prejudice. To once and for all end what Black Americans have been trying to do since they were let free from slavery. Police reform could finally be what holds the police in the whole world accountable for privilege and power. Just because you hold a gun or taser, doesn’t mean you have power. Guns are just objects that police use to take a life and end a family. Biden plans executive actions for this issue. However, I think some Congresses have given up on the idea because of past failures related to this subject.
Racism is a topic people don’t talk about, but one that needs to be addressed more. Police and staff need to get educated. Additionally, parents and students need to get educated on the oppression, racism, discrimination and prejudice against black Americans. They are a huge part of the world growing and blossoming. Police need to be held accountable for their actions, because Black people get held accountable for crimes they never even committed. I choose not to let racism go unnoticed in the world. It is a fight beginning to die out. The question is: Are we going to let it happen?

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” ― Angela Davis