The death of African American George Floyd after being detained by the police provoked protests and riots not only across America but also beyond its borders. Actions against racism are taking place in Europe, Australia and even Taiwan. Accusations leveled at all four police officers involved in Floyd’s arrest did not help calm the situation. The protesters demand not only to punish those responsible but also to end racism, which still remains one of the main problems of American society. In order to better understand the context of what is happening, it is necessary to understand the prerequisites and identify solutions to the problems that have arisen.
Despite the fact that black and white Americans have equal rights, their daily life can hardly be called the same. More than 150 years after slavery was abolished, African Americans continue to face challenges that seriously affect their societal position (Dufresne 21). This primarily concerns economic inequality. The average African American family has a budget of 10 times less than the budget of a white household (Dufresne 17). In the United States, 20.8% of blacks live in poverty, while 8.1% of whites are below the poverty line (Dufresne 28). It is important to keep in mind that there are significantly more white citizens in the United States – 76.5% of the total population versus 13.4% (Dufresne 29). CVs of applicants with Anglo-Saxon names receive 50% more responses than CVs with African American names (Dufresne 28). But African Americans are five times more likely to end up in jail and be sentenced to longer terms.
Even the COVID-19 epidemic has become an indicator of racial inequality. According to statistics, black people in the United States are the most vulnerable group due to frequent cases of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. In addition, it is more difficult for African Americans to obtain qualified medical care. According to data cited by CNN, 9.7% of black Americans do not have health insurance, while among whites, this figure is only 5.4% (Dufresne 19). The economic downturn caused by the quarantine also hit blacks harder, with African Americans more likely to lose their jobs and find themselves in financial hardship. About 61% of Hispanics and 44% of black US residents surveyed in May said they, or someone in their family, had been laid off or faced a cut in income (Dufresne 19). This is not about particular cases of racism but about the fact that the black population is less integrated into social institutions as a whole. Its ubiquitous existence in the United States is recognized by former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
As a result, many African Americans have lived in neighborhoods that have remained gray areas for decades. In the United States, there is a property tax, from which the budget of local schools is formed, and utilities and the police are paid. Residents of poor areas do not own real estate but use social housing; therefore, they do not pay taxes (Dufresne 20). It turns out that a white American born and raised in a prestigious neighborhood who went to a good school, attended extra classes, and grew up in a safer environment has a better chance of a prosperous future than his black peer.
Thus, Black Lives Matter (BLM) is an activist movement that grew out of the hashtag (#BlackLivesMatter) on social media. It comes after Florida sentry George Zimmerman was acquitted of the July 2013 murder of an unarmed black teenager, Trayvon Martin (Dufresne 5). BLM activists believe that black Americans are in constant danger due to prejudice from the state and the police. Thus, the anti-racist movement is relevant because the black population of America is still faced with harshness and stereotypes in their direction.
It should be noted that racism is encouraged in art, only in a passive way. Various films, songs and corporations touch on this topic in one way or another, often distorting some facts for marketing purposes. This also needs to be combated by eradicating such cases. This does not mean that certain cultural products should be banned or destroyed, but they need to be changed. One of the first rethinkings was started by Mars Inc, which owns Uncle Ben’s brand of instant rice and a line of sauces (Dufresne 7). The logo of this product – an elderly African American in a bow: in the 1990s, Uncle Ben’s sauces and rice were one of the most popular products in our country. In America itself, this brand of rice has been the best-selling rice for many decades. Without waiting for accusations of racism, several other companies have decided to revise their packaging (Dufresne 8). For example, B&G Foods reported a change to a box of Cream Of Wheat instant cereals that featured a black man wearing a chef’s hat for years.
The fight against racism has certainly won in the last century, but this does not mean that it is over. In the modern world, there are still well-established stereotypes, in particular, reinforced by culture and art, which must be combated. The steps taken by a number of corporations to change black characters show that this is one of the most effective and painless solutions to problems, showing that social change is needed.
Work Cited
Dufresne, Emilie. Racism. Enslow Publishing, LLC, 2020.