For centuries, people of color have been oppressed countless times. Corey Lewis was leaving a subway in Marietta, Georgia when a white woman approached him and asked if the kids were okay. Lewis was confused by her question and asked, “Why wouldn’t they be?”. The white lady persisted onto his trail and followed Lewis and the two little girls home. She also called the police. We need to evaluate the situations and enforce consequences that will not only punish the oppressor but teach a lesson that will lessen the chances of this happening again.
This issue can be dated back to the beginning with slavery. Some believe to leave the past in the past and move on but many of the racist acts that have happened this year and in previous years can be traced back to the origins of slavery. Caucasians used Africans for the labor they did not want to do. According to Executive Producer, Writer and Presenter Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Between 1525 and 1866, over 12 million Africans were shipped to the New World. This was one of the initial examples of how caucasians held power of African-Americans.
They abused their power and one of the largest forms of that is when lynching became popular. Lynching was a frequent punishment that caucasians used to kill African-Americans. The punishment consisted of a white person hanging a black person usually on a tree with a rope.
Following this history timeline, during the segregation times, it was commonly known for caucasians to degrade African-Americans. They were instructed to never look caucasians in the eye, while caucasians referred to them as “niggas” or “niggers”. It showed how much power the caucasians held over African-Americans and the behavior was just downright embarrassing. We believe that example from history further exemplifies how caucasians calling the police on African-Americans is just another demonstration of power and privilege that caucasians.
There have been several instances where African-Americans have been harmed like March 3, 1991, when four LAPD officers beat Rodney King. King was unarmed. A video was recorded consisting of the officers not only clubbing the man over 50 times but kicking him as well. Twenty-five years later on July 6, 2016, Philando Castile, an unarmed black man, was pulled over and killed by a St. Anthony, Minnesota police officer. Castile’s girlfriend and four year-old daughter were in the car as well. The incident was recorded on a live-stream video.
Only four years ago, on July, 17 2014, Eric Garner died in New York City when an NYPD officer put him into a choke-hold while attempting to arrest him. Garner was unarmed and complying with orders. The incident was captured on video and brought awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement. These instances of African-Americans being oppressed are just few of the many cases that have occurred. We believe that due to these cases, calling the police on African-Americans is a threat to his or her’s well-being and safety.
These occasions just show how racism has evolved but has barely taken any steps forward. Racism against the blacks has been happening for over a century. In the nineteenth century, there was slavery when Caucasians had total control over the lives of Africans. In the previous century, the Jim Crow laws were in place which gave Caucasians the right to walk all over African-Americans
In this generation, in the midst of social media and the era of technology, racism has multiple platforms where it can be exposed. People like “BBQ Betty” and “Permit Patty” are just few examples where it shows that yes times have changed, but racism and prejudices are still very apparent. In order to move past these instances, justice needs to be ensured for the victims and their families. There can be no growth if we are still focusing on the setbacks.
This topic is relevant to today’s generation of people of color because it regards our safety and how much we are valued in this world. This is to be brought to the attention of all those who are aware of the acts of the racism that have been committed. African-Americans have been minding their own business and caucasians have called the police on them for just being black. It shows how they are not appreciated and what they are viewed as in this world. Try to put yourself in these shoes and empathize with African-Americans who are going through this.
Calling the police on black people is a juvenile and blatant act of racism and prejudices, but not only does it show how immature some people can be but also represents the power that oppressors still hold over black people. Keep in mind that caucasians are not only harming African-Americans they are also putting the children in danger. Those two little girls who were being babysat by that black man had to experienced being harassed by a white woman who could not just accept the fact that whites and blacks associate with each other.
photo by: Huffington Post
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