Commentary: We can’t stop fighting for racial equality just yet
The continued effort to achieve racial equality through protest and petitions has made many hopeful for impactful change.
The Black Lives Matter movement has had quite a presence in 2020, especially following numerous cases of police brutality.
Those in support of what Black Lives Matter stands for are fighting for the equal rights of African-Americans and against police brutality.
BLM supporters have been fighting for their cause in several ways. Through both violent and peaceful demonstrations, a huge presence on social media, and huge murals on streets across America reading “Black Lives Matter”.
The movement has also gained traction within well-known organizations, including the NBA, Nike and the NFL.
Through all of these efforts many positive changes have been made, however there are still a lot of things that need to be done.
More needs to be done for social equality.
We all must treat everyone equally, and not judge others by the color of their skin. People everywhere need to learn that at the end of the day we are all human beings. No race is superior to another.
Sophomore Imani Mcharo believes that solving racism is very difficult.
“Most people who are racist were taught (from) a young age to act that way, so it is hard to teach them to be open-minded and view (black people) equally,” Mcharo said.
One of the most well known examples this year of police brutality was the death of George Floyd.
Floyd was killed on May 25 as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, inevitably taking Floyd’s life.
Floyd’s death along with many others is the reason why people have demanded for police departments to make changes, including in the training and selection of officers.
“Cops sometimes abuse their power. They need to have more training and be trained on how to correctly handle certain situations,” sophomore Adarius Jackson said.
Shortly after Floyd’s death, an executive order regarding police reform was signed by President Trump.
This executive order was designed to, “(encourage) police departments nationwide to adopt the highest professional standards to serve their communities,” Trump said.
When it comes down to the root of the racial problems of our country many are accountable. No one should be killed or scared as a result of the color of their skin.
As a society we must treat others how we all want to be treated.
Students at Granite Bay High and young people everywhere must pledge to not pass on racism to our posterity.
With time and activism through avenues like BLM, we can root out the racism in America.
JJ is a sophomore, and this is his first year on the Gazette staff.
