All lives can't matter until black lives matter - The debate

Racism is one of the greatest evils of society that has existed since forever. Be it India or abroad, it has its roots in different sections of the society in various ways. One such heinous act of racial discrimination was seen on May 25th 2020 when George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis at the hands of a white police officer.

It raised concern all over and authorities along with the public got agitated which gave rise to the movement called “Black lives matter”.  

Life of every single being treading the planet is important but equality can be truly exercised if and only if black lives receive enough recognition and people rise above their prejudices. 

A topic of debate of late, it might appear as a topic for group discussion during your admission or placement interviews. So, before we come to conclusions, let us dissect the topic and look at it from different points of view.

What the debate is all about

1. The sparks of the movement can be traced back to 2013 when Trayvon Martin was shot dead in Florida by George Zimmerman. It is claimed that the 17 year old juvenile was killed on grounds of mere suspicion when he served ice tea to Mr Zimmerman. This was a trigger giving rise to the movement of “black lives matter”. Later, on further scrutiny, the person was found innocent.
2. The movement gained its momentum a year later after the death of Michael Brown when the unarmed was publicly shot dead.
3. Racism persisted prior to the emergence of the “Black lives matter” movement when -
   • Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery back in the 1960s. Her determination and defiance acted as a source of inspiration for many to fight for the right cause.
   • In South Africa, there existed the prevalence of Apartheid - a system of racial discrimination that segregated all basic public amenities for white and black men treating the latter as incompetent, backwards and inferior. It was due to the efforts of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi that South Africa got freedom from this racial discrimination.
4. In India, It is strictly prohibited to discriminate on the basis of caste, colour, religion or gender.
5. It's astonishing to encounter prevalence of such prejudice, especially after the US elected its first black president Barack Obama.
6. The killing of George Floyd exemplifies the prevalence of discrimination in the minds of people which needs to be fully uprooted."We all should rise, above the clouds of ignorance, narrowness, and selfishness." - Booker T. Washington. Every single life matters regardless of their race, but all lives need to be given equal recognition and opportunities to prove themselves in an environment free from all kinds of prejudice.
7. The movement took a toll on the internet and appealed to people from every nook and corner to step up in support of the rightful cause because one cannot grow without rising above these social evils.

Concluding remarks

We can trace the prevalence of discriminatory practices since the late 19th century, but it was the active participation of people that lead to the abolition of Apartheid and justice to Rosa parks. The need of the hour is to join hands for the justice of not only George Floyd but every person who faces discrimination of one kind or the other because all lives cannot matter until black lives matter.