Introduction
The current Black Lives Matter protests spur numerous questions and, consequently, lead to specific societal changes. Fueled by the long-lasting history of racial oppression, activists demand the transformation that will abolish the contemporary White dominance in favor of equality for all. This essay will examine the reasons for the social outbreak, compare it with the previous Black Lives Matter protests, and summarize the changes needed for a political and social shift.
Institutional Racism
As opposed to straightforward derogatory claims about one’s race, society enforces racism through structural inequalities and institutionalization. For instance, A New York school named after Martin Luther King that strived to appeal to both White neighboring areas and prospective Black pupils appears to be majorly segregated with more than 90% of African American students (Jones 5). The same is true for public education institutions across the US. When it comes to college admissions, students of color can be unfavored due to lack of academic achievements and financial status (Jones 5). Racial profiling and police brutality are other explicit example of institutional oppression. Although Whites are as likely to consume drugs as African Americans, the latter are twice more likely to be arrested (Jones 7). Thus, institutional racism in fields like education, the judicial, and others systems remains one of the biggest drivers of oppression.
Current and Past Protests: Comparison
Although there have been Black Lives Matter protests in the past, they are not comparable to the current situation in terms of scale, international exposure, and support.
People across America protest police brutality regardless of the COVID-19 crisis, which shows their dedication to the matter. While similar demonstrations broke out in the past, they never gathered such a nationwide following. Additionally, as it concerns international exposure, the movement is supported globally by riots across Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The global response shows the support that people expressed towards abolishing police brutality and racism as a whole.
Black Lives Matter Lesson
As per personal lessons that I have learned from the Black Lives Matter movement, I understood the importance of the community and the necessity to unite for the common good. I doubt that racism is going to be abolished entirely, even if the protests are going to cause some societal shift. However, current demonstrations have shown that if oppressed people and their allies unite and attract attention to racial inequality, it is going to result in international exposure and possibly lead to racial liberation.
Societal Change
The racial inequalities become more apparent as people voice their concerns in radical demonstrations. To translate the current events into societal change, lawmakers, politicians, and the public have to listen and address the many concerns that African Americans share online and on the streets. Acknowledging the White privilege and starting to politically address racism as a pressing issue rather than a thing of the past is going to be the first step towards equality.
Change in Industries
Marketing is one of the industries where racism still prevails. Black people are often left out as a target demographic, not adequately represented in advertisements and media, as well as used as tokens for diversity. In the makeup industry, for instance, non-Whites are often left out in terms of not getting enough products to suit their skin color, generating scarcity of such items. Media and advertisement messages remain dominantly White, and Black models and actors are used to put up a façade of the diversity for a particular company. Thus, to eliminate institutional racism in marketing, Black people should be considered a viable demographic for market research and production. African Americans should also be equally represented in marketing messages.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Black Lives Matter movement is unique in terms of its scale, impact, and possible societal consequences. Racism prevails not only on institutional levels like education and law but also in politics and industries worldwide. These acts of indirect oppression should be recognized and eliminated as a result of the global Black Lives Matter movement to strive for equality for all regardless of race.
Work Cited
Jones, Leslie Kay. “Blacklivesmatter: An Analysis of The Movement as Social Drama.” Humanity & Society, vol 44, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-19. Sage.