Kneeling for Justice: Reflections on George Floyd, Racism, and America
A lot has happened this week. As buildings burn and reports of police brutality against citizens continue across the U.S., I want to take a moment to address the murder of George Floyd and the unfolding protests and unrest. I write as a white, educated, heterosexual man who is acutely aware of the privileges I carry. I am deeply saddened and outraged by the ongoing racism, abuse, hatred, and social injustice that persists in our society. I stand in solidarity with the Black community and all those fighting for justice and systemic change.
If you identify as a racist or find yourself indifferent to this issue, there may not be much common ground between us. Feel free to disengage now, or stay and hear a different perspective. During my Master’s studies, I delved into subjects like race, power, privilege, inequality, diversity, and social justice, and worked with inner-city kids and at-risk youth in Los Angeles and New York from 2004 to 2009. These experiences have given me insight into the ways our society has normalized not only racism but many forms of abuse for far too long, creating a culture where perpetrators often escape accountability.
Our generation is making it clear: “No more.” While the U.S. currently has a president who embodies division and represents much of what is broken in our society, there is a growing consciousness among many—especially young people—who are yearning for justice, peace, love, unity, and respect.
If the destruction of property is what troubles you most, I urge you to consider the bigger picture. Broken windows can be replaced. A life taken unjustly cannot. This struggle is about demanding attention to systemic racial injustice and calling for meaningful change. It’s important to understand that the outrage we’re seeing now is a response to centuries of violence against Black people—a reality grounded in the history of white supremacy. These so-called "violent protests" are dwarfed by the magnitude of racial violence that has stained this nation's history, much of which went unseen, unrecorded, and unpunished.
George Floyd, known as "Big Floyd" to his community, was a peacemaker, a mentor, and a caring individual. His murder encapsulates everything wrong with the intersections of race, power, and privilege. In his final moments, Floyd’s desperate plea, “I can’t breathe,” was a cry for life, for mercy—a cry that went unanswered as officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for over seven minutes.
In the images circulating now: if you are indifferent to Colin Kaepernick taking a knee in peaceful protest but are angered by a knee used to choke the life from George Floyd, it’s worth asking why. In 2017, Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of color.” His protest questioned how a nation could celebrate freedom while denying it to so many of its citizens.
The United States was established as a society rooted in white supremacy. Thomas Jefferson, a slaveholder, proclaimed that “all men are created equal,” yet profited from the labor of enslaved Black people. As Jim Wallis writes in America’s Original Sin, the U.S. was built on the genocide of one race and the enslavement of another. This history is not just in our past; it permeates our present, woven into the fabric of American life.
No race or gender is inherently superior to another. In God’s eyes, we are all equal. The events unfolding across the nation challenge each of us to look inward and ask ourselves whether, and in what ways, we have been complicit in perpetuating racial inequality. We must be willing to confront our own privileges—whether related to skin color, gender, education, or social status—and actively work to unlearn the biases that have been ingrained in us by a whitewashed, racially biased society.
Right now, leadership is lacking across the political spectrum. The failure to address systemic racism has left us at a tipping point. But this moment also presents an opportunity: communities across the country are rising to demand change, to transform the course of history. Racism is not just an individual mindset; it is a deeply entrenched cultural disease, embedded in institutions and upheld by layers of systemic protection designed to perpetuate inequality.
Angela Davis reminds us, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.” This is a call to action. Let us not only empathize but commit ourselves to being allies in the fight for justice alongside our Black brothers and sisters. We must work to dismantle the systems of discrimination and violence and build a society that values and protects all lives equally. The time for change is now, and it will take all of us to make it a reality.
Together, we can forge a future where justice is not a privilege for the few but a right for all. Let’s be part of the solution, part of the revolution, and the work that lies ahead.
Visit www.justiceforbigfloyd.com, sign the petition and get involved.