This week, something historic happened. Thousands of people from every walk of life, every state across the country, came together. Many felt feelings of anger, sadness, fear, and hopelessness following George Floyd’s killing. But we all felt the urgency for change.
Change in the name of George Floyd. Change in the name of Ahmaud Arbery. Change in the name of Breonna Taylor. And change in the name of the countless other Black Americans who have died at the hands of hatred and racism.
This past weekend, I joined thousands of protestors in Washington, D.C. as we marched through the streets to demand justice for George Floyd. As I stood among the sea of people gathered outside the White House, I was overcome with emotion. I reflected on the fact that from the moment a Black woman gives birth to a child and holds her baby’s fragile body in her hand, she fears that that body could be viewed as a threat and that someone may try to do harm to her child. In thinking about this, I kept replaying the final moments of George Floyd’s life, which were captured on devastating video as he pleaded for his “mama.”
Throughout all of the recent events and the emotional roller coaster our country has been on, we cannot lose hope. And in order to have hope, one must first speak truth. Let’s speak the truth: People are protesting because Black people have been treated as less than human in America. Because our country has never fully addressed the systemic racism that has plagued our country since its earliest days. It is the duty of every American to fix. No longer can some wait on the sidelines, hoping for incremental change. In times like this, silence is complicity.
It will take each of us to confront the injustices that continue to perpetuate a broken system that has taken countless Black Americans’ lives. It will take people of every race, creed, and gender identity to speak up and to act. Now is the time to have those uncomfortable conversations about racism with family, friends, and neighbors. It’s time to have honest discussions about our country’s dark history of discrimination and confront the fact that structural racism lives on in our policies and everyday life. And it’s time for all of us—not just some—to speak out against racism.
Vote for and elect people who promote equality. Call out discrimination when you see it. And keep demanding your elected officials support policies that are inclusive and address systemic injustice. The truth is, our country’s wounds can be healed. We just have to have the political courage to act.
There are reforms that we can push for today that would bring a better tomorrow.
For instance, in the Senate, I am working alongside Senator Cory Booker to enact bold police reform nationwide. First, we are working to establish a national standard for use of force. As it stands now, each state has its own rules for what degree of force an officer can use against citizens. In many states, the law states that police can use force if it is deemed “reasonable.” It’s time for a national standard that requires use of force only when “necessary” and when no alternatives are available. It is also time for a national ban on chokeholds and other neck restraints like the maneuver used to kill George Floyd.
Second, we need independent investigations into police use of excessive force and officer-involved killings. District attorney offices shouldn’t be in charge of investigating the very police departments they typically work with.
Third, we need real police accountability. Officers take an oath to protect and serve the communities they work in and that is why it is critical to ensure a national officer misconduct registry, as well as restore and expand Obama-era policies of using pattern and practice investigations and consent decrees. This is critical to help root out bad actors and provide oversight on police departments that have a history of wrongdoing.
We cannot let up in the fight for equality, fairness, and justice. Even when, if not especially when, it is hard or uncomfortable to talk about. Together, united, as one country we can be a force for change. A change that breaks down the two systems of justice—one for the privileged and another for the oppressed—and turns into one where “Equal Justice Under Law” actually means something.
The time for outrage is now. The time for solidarity is now. The time for action is now. The time for change is now.
Illustrations by Stormy Nesbit.
Senator Kamala Harris was the first African American and first woman to serve as Attorney General of California. A lifelong public safety and civil rights leader, she is the second African-American woman in history to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
