By: Lawrencia Nelson
Currently there are two pandemics spreading through the United States of America, Coronavirus and Racism. On the other side of the world, hearing statements such as βThis is not our issueβ βI do not live in America, so why does this affect us?β βAll lives matterβ. Imagine for one second being black and hearing such disappointing words and a lack of empathy. Whether you are black or not this is all our problem as we are all human. Anybody with an ounce of compassion should be able to emphasize. Yes, all lives matter there is no disputing that however imagine being dehumanized or worse still losing your life due to the colour of your skin. That should not sit right with anyone. Being black in 2020 hurts as much as being black during the times of Martin Luther King, Malcom X and Rosa Parks. Recently actor Will Smith made a comment that made me shudder, βRacism is not getting worse, itβs getting filmedβ. Imagine all the other racial incidents that have not been caught on camera. The recent high-profile deaths of African Americans have highlighted police brutality more than ever. America has always been a nation to represent βThe land of the freeβ and βThe American dreamβ, representing the ideology of freedom and opportunity. One of the most racially and ethically diverse countries in the world but time and time again blacks are dying under the hands of white supremacists.Β
Currently there are two pandemics spreading through the United States of America, Coronavirus and Racism. On the other side of the world, hearing statements such as βThis is not our issueβ βI do not live in America, so why does this affect us?β βAll lives matterβ. Imagine for one second being black and hearing such disappointing words and a lack of empathy. Whether you are black or not this is all our problem as we are all human. Anybody with an ounce of compassion should be able to emphasize. Yes, all lives matter there is no disputing that however imagine being dehumanized or worse still losing your life due to the colour of your skin. That should not sit right with anyone. Being black in 2020 hurts as much as being black during the times of Martin Luther King, Malcom X and Rosa Parks. Recently actor Will Smith made a comment that made me shudder, βRacism is not getting worse, itβs getting filmedβ. Imagine all the other racial incidents that have not been caught on camera. The recent high-profile deaths of African Americans have highlighted police brutality more than ever. America has always been a nation to represent βThe land of the freeβ and βThe American dreamβ, representing the ideology of freedom and opportunity. One of the most racially and ethically diverse countries in the world but time and time again blacks are dying under the hands of white supremacists.