‘Something is not right.’ George Floyd protests push white Americans to think about their privilege
Mike Sexton is white and a Republican who lives in an affluent suburb of Fort Worth, where many neighbors back President Trump and some work in law enforcement. “The police are fair; institutions are fair — white people have been so happy to believe those things,” said Battalora, a former police officer and author of “Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today.” “What this signals is that a good chunk of white people now have some recognition that something’s not right.” For Sexton, Ashmore and Joakimides, the killing of Floyd and outpourings of rage have forced them to see that expressions of sympathy and displays of solidarity with Black people are only the beginning. He said it’s crazy that it took so long for him and other white people to fully grasp that horror of police brutality, “but for us, we wouldn’t have understood were it not for the video.” “Now,” he said, “we’re listening.” Sexton, a salesman, recently organized a rally for police accountability in a high school parking lot near where he lives in Grapevine, Texas. “I’m a nice person; I can’t be racist.” Ashmore has said those words to himself in the past, and he knows other white people say them, too. “It’s time to acknowledge my privilege — and to use it to fight oppression.” Sexton, the salesman from Texas, said he’s encouraged that so many white people in his community seem to feel as passionate about stopping police brutality as he does.
George Floyd died one year ago today. Did his murder have any lasting impact on America?
Opinion: One year after George Floyd’s death, America faces an existential crossroads
George Floyd anniversary: BLM got a plaza in Washington. Will it get police reform?
Opinion: What the haunting connection between George Floyd and Daunte Wright reveals
Discover Related
Anti-Trump protests: A bright spot is emerging amid all this chaos.
Scholars say Trump administration is trying to erase America's non-white history
US capital scraps 'Black Lives Matter' street mural after Trump pressure
'You are making it hard for us!' Black Americans for Trump member rips president on CNN
The GOP grievance machine — and how Republicans weaponize fear to win
Minneapolis council approves police oversight following George Floyd probe
Trump's New Orleans terror attack comments foretell foreboding future: analyst
Previously unreported comments by Trump-endorsed Mark Robinson reveal menacing smears
Walz’s handling of unrest after George Floyd’s death coming under renewed scrutiny
Trump's Comments About Kamala Harris' Race Are All Too Familiar For Biracial People
James Baldwin Books To Celebrate The Influential Author's Birthday
‘Shame!': Internet erupts over 'moron' Trump's 'is she Black?' remark at NABJ event
MSNBC reporter says 'stunned' audience of Black journalists were 'gasping' at Trump
JD Vance endorsed book calling left ‘unhumans’ written by Pizzagate conspiracy theorist
Ali: Racism and bigotry get a pass in 2024 as Trump talk that once shocked is normalized
Not much changed in a promised 'changed world'
Biden Marks 4th Anniversary Of George Floyd’s Murder, Urges Action On Police Reform Bill
Editorial: Four years after George Floyd, the backlash is underway