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Let’s be the generation that ends racism

Eya Labidi/YJI

BAHRAIN – The world is in shock since George Floyd died of suffocation under the knee of a white policeman in late May in Minneapolis.

Today, his murder is the heart of all social medias.

In the United States, and all around the word, this tragedy sparked outrage and vehement protests. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have been on the streets demanding change.

This event highlights the deep racial divisions that continue to fracture the country. The weight of slavery and segregationist past, police violence and aggressive speech is a combination that creates an explosive cocktail.

America is now seeing the result.

The police officer who kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes, represents the excess of police brutality and more precisely he symbolizes the racial injustice of American society.

Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck, was fired and is facing murder charges.

Floyd’s death tragically reminds us that these incidents are actually part of a long series of unarmed black men and women killed by white police across the country.

It is true that the death of many African Americans in the past decade have sparked national outrage, but not on this scale. Why?

The main difference is that the public actually saw the video of Floyd’s brutal killing.

Imagine yourself being in front of a nonviolent man who pleads for his life, who calls for his mother for help while he is dying of suffocation. It is a horrifying experience especially for white people who have never been through the unbelievable violence that police use against African Americans.

When I saw the video, I was appalled and angry. This is not something that I’d ever witnessed before.

In the demonstrations, all skin colors are united behind the same cause. Despite the risks due to the coronavirus epidemic, the demonstrators wish to be present to make history.

“No to racism” and “No peace without justice” are significant words that we can read on the signs, and above all, “Black Lives Matter.”

But words are not enough. Actions have to back up what you say.

Racism has been in America and all over the world for thousands of years.

Enough is enough, we are the change! It is time to put an end to racism.

The injustice that people are facing all around the world again and again MUST stop. Anti-racism is a very serious battle that we should win.

To move forward, we must stand together. Our generation needs to be the voice and the hand that will be the change we wish to see in the world.

Today is our chance to correct the past and build a better future.

We must join hands and stand united. Let our voices be heard and amplified. It is the only way we will get through this.

I stand with you; I mourn with you and I fight for you.

I hope and believe that the movement going on in the world right now is going to make a change. You must raise your voice against racism whether it is in person or through your writing and social media.

If you have the opportunity, go outside and protest peacefully. Don’t hesitate. Just raise your voice.

Do it. It is for a good cause. Thousands of people out there count on us.

Let’s be the generation that ends racism.

Eya Labidi is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.

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