Say His Name: George Floyd

During the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone was in quarantine, daily life was interrupted, and everyone was staying safe from the deadly virus. However, one event that received national attention was the death of George Floyd. On May 25, 2020, the then 46-year-old was suspected of using fake money and was stopped by police and then, they held him to the ground. What happened next was shocking. Now former Minneapolis police officer and convicted murderer, Derek Chauvin, was seen on video pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes. Despite Floyd’s constant pleas that he couldn't breathe to Chauvin and from bystanders to let him breathe, Chauvin ignored their pleas and the other officers at the scene refused to intervene. Floyd’s death sparked worldwide outrage and protests from around the world. One of the things that continues to irk me is when anytime a black person has been killed by the police, most people would say the following: “If he/she would’ve followed the officer’s orders, then they wouldn’t have been shot.” This is such a tone deaf way of saying that a black person who lost their life deserved it. To me, it's a form of victim blaming. Even if they obeyed a police officer's orders, no one deserves to have their lives taken in a tragic manner. Also, opponents of racial injustice protests would also describe black people as thugs, drug dealers, and everything under the sun. As a person of color, I ask everyone to not paint all black people with one brush. You're missing the entire point of why we still hold Black Lives Matter protests. The point of these protests is to call for accountability of any police officer who takes the life of black individuals. In other words, arresting police officers as opposed to putting them on administrative leave (paid or unpaid) or on bond. Also, seeing them being convicted and sentenced to time in prison, making sure that the families of the slain receive justice.

Just because a police officer has a gun and a badge, it doesn't make them above the law. To be fair, there are cops out there who are doing the right thing and have integrity. They do an amazing job of serving and protecting our communities. However, there are others who abuse their power and hardly face any consequences. I'm not saying that all police officers are terrible people. It's only just a small few of them. Plus, I'm not in favor of defending the police, but I'm in favor of extensive thorough training for police officers.

In 2021, Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in prison for Floyd's death. I believed that this sentence was fair, because it sent a message to police officers everywhere who had second thoughts about abusing their own power.

You don't have to be black in order to care about black lives. You also don't have to be black in order to take a stand against police brutality and racial injustice. Stop being afraid to offend others by saying Black Lives Matter. It's okay to show sympathy for black lives and take part in peaceful protests. These actions don't make you any less of a person. The late Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Why do black lives still matter today? Because black people are still getting killed by trigger happy cops, with little to no accountability. While I've never been a victim of racial profiling by police officers, I can understand the feeling of being falsely accused of something you didn't do, not knowing if you'll ever see your friends or loved ones again. Over the years, we've heard tragic stories of black individuals being slain by cops because they had a mental health crisis or for just minding their own business. No one deserves to be treated like this by any authority figure. If you've seen #saytheirnames, #sayhisname, and #sayhername on social media over the past few years, those hashtags are the reason why we fight against racial injustice and police brutality. Also, racism is still an issue in the United States. Most people think that we're too focused on race and we should just stop talking about it, which is an ignorant remark. You're part of the problem if you believe that blacks need to shut up about this. These things are something that needs to be talked about more often, because I don't want my fellow brothers and sisters to meet their own demises by these rogue cops.

The Black Lives Matter movement dates back to 2013. The death of black teen Trayvon Martin that year by George Zimmerman is the reason why this movement was started in the first place. Zimmerman was cleared of murder charges in Martin's demise. Another example of someone getting away with murder was the death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man who was killed in Ferguson, Missouri back in 2014 by a white police officer, who was later acquitted. Both Martin and Brown were unarmed.

Being a black man in America is scary. Even though I live in a safe neighborhood, any time I go out, I always look over my shoulder and aware of my surroundings at all times. Anytime I see a cop car going past me or see it as I walk, it makes me nervous and my heart starts to pound. I've never been arrested in my life, but you never know what might happen to you, even if you're just going about your day or night. Or being stopped by a police officer for doing ordinary things. You don't have to be black in order for you to understand the effects of racial profiling it has on us. Walk a mile in our shoes and maybe, you'll get a sense of why it's hard for us to trust police officers. Iconic Civil Rights leaders such as the late Representative John Lewis would want us to keep fighting for real accountability towards police officers who take advantage of their own positions to murder innocent black people. Not only that, but to give the families of the slain closure and justice.

Finally, let's talk about former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Back in 2016 before a game, he took a knee during the National Anthem to protest against police brutality and injustice in this country. This move sparked national outrage, with people saying that he was "disrespecting the American flag." First of all, he was not, so lets squash that argument right now. He was bringing awareness to an issue that was affecting black individuals. Kaepernick was willing to risk his own career to take a stand in what he believed in. We should praise Colin for shedding light on an issue that needed attention instead of portraying him as a villain. As of 2025, he has not been back in the NFL since. You're missing the entire point of the reasons behind his choice to kneel. This is one of the reasons why social movements like Black Lives Matter exist today and are important. The topic of race might be uncomfortable for some to discuss, but making people feel uncomfortable is necessary. It gives us an opportunity to have meaningful and honest dialogue about something that keeps happening to blacks. There are some smart alecks out there proclaiming that All Lives Matter. Yes, all lives do matter, but their lives won't matter until black lives matter. We must come together as one and make our voices louder. Turning our anger into action. So, I beg opponents of Black Lives Matter to not be afraid to use the aforementioned hashtags mentioned earlier in this story and care about the lives lost in the hands of cops. They had families who are still grieving the losses of their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and so on. At the end of the day, George Floyd was a human being and left behind a young daughter. He didn't have to go out in such a horrific manner. Take part in these peaceful protests and when you do, think about people like Ahmaud Aubery, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks, then you'll finally get a grasp of the reasons why we fighting against racial injustice. It's a fight that will go on for the foreseeable future. We're not anti-police. We're against rogue cops taking innocent black lives and we're sick and tired of it.

Say it with me: Black Lives Matter!