I cannot stop thinking about those three words: “I can’t breathe”. Those three words resemble a broken society. A society that has been broken for hundreds of years. A society that continues to break repeatedly every time a black life is lost due to the perpetuation of systemic racism. A society that will continue to be broken, unless we fundamentally address and seek out a life where anti-racism is the norm.
The elephant in the room
All this talk of the “new normal” in relation to coronavirus ignores the elephant in the room. I’ve heard conversations about more flexible working practices. I’ve heard conversations about more concern for the environment. I’ve also heard conversations about more funding of public healthcare. But, are we aiming to embrace these things and beat coronavirus to live in a society corrupted by institutional racism?
I’ve also participated in conversations on looking after mental health whilst living in a global pandemic. I’ve been told to take it easy on myself, and not worry about making every minute productive. Whilst advocating for the mental health of individuals is important, we are ignoring the mental health of black people as a collective.
Collective trauma
The murder of George Floyd, amongst many other innocent black people, hurts. I may not have known George personally, but I feel pain due to his death and know that many others share this emotion. We grieve heavily as individuals, whilst also suffering from collective trauma.
Every time a black person dies at the hands of racism, not only is the life of that person harmed but also harms the lives of all black people. We are made to feel that being black is a crime and that we are disposable. We do not feel safe. We may not even be safe in the comfort of our own homes, like Breonna Taylor.
George Floyd’s murderer has been arrested and that is a small step in the right direction. It is not a victory, as he has only been charged with third-degree murder (manslaughter). Even with a first-degree or second-degree murder charge, it is still not enough. We need to work harder to battle the systemic injustices within society. When I say we here, this is not restricted to black people. It is not only the job of black people to speak out about racism.
Silence is insufferable
Racism is everyone’s problem. Everyone, irrespective of their race, should form part of the solution. I don’t have all the answers. But, my first step is speaking up about it and asking non-black people to educate themselves on the issues at hand. I had some doubts about posting this but I refuse to stay silent.
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Racism and the “new normal”
Coronavirus has been a threat to society and a treat to the lives that we try to live freely. Racism is a threat to our humanity. The whole world is racing against time to find a vaccine, but I do not sense the same urgency to find the antidote to racism.
Coronavirus will pass. Will we be able to say the same thing about racism once the pandemic is over?
At the end of this global health crisis, we will have an opportunity to make the world a better place and choose a “new normal”. We need to go beyond better funding of public healthcare, better working practices and better hygiene practices. We should push for the health and safety of all people, especially black people, in both physical and mental terms. We should choose a world where we are safe to go back to work, safe to meet our friends again, and also safe to just breathe.
Rest in Perfect Power, George Floyd.
To donate to the official fund for George Floyd and his family organised by his sister Philonese Floyd, click here.
To find out more about how you can support the Black Lives Matter movement, click here.