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Well written! Agree with you.
This is so true. Some truths are uncomfortable.
As the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death passes, many people around the world are remembering him. His murder sparked a Black Lives Matter movement that is now the biggest in American history, with millions of people attending protests and demonstrations—not to mention the countless demonstrations held in other countries. His death has impacted all of America in profound ways. Last summer we watched the protests unfold before our eyes, whether in person or on the news or in shaky phone videos on social media. Even here in Edinburgh, “BLACK LIVES MATTER” is spray-painted under bridges and in tunnels.
Today, Floyd’s family met with President Biden, who said he hopes the Senate will get a police reform bill on his desk quickly. The teenage girl who witnessed and filmed Floyd’s death—who was only seventeen at the time—has released her only official statement about the experience and the lingering trauma she’s experienced ever since.
Though the incident has brought already-existing problems even further into the spotlight, it’s important that we don’t use the wrong language about it. Using words like “martyr” or “sacrifice” implies that George Floyd died for a cause, for a purpose. He was just a man who wanted to live. His death was an unnecessary, and even if important changes are brought about because of it, it’s crucial to remember that it never should have happened in the first place. Maybe that hurts. Maybe it's uncomfortable to sit with. But if we're not willing to sit with it, the problems that caused it will never be fixed.