If There Was Any Justice, George Floyd Would Still Be Alive
Justice is about more than treating the symptoms, we have to address the virus of White supremacy.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the horrific murder of George Floyd. It felt as though a collective sigh of relief was heard around the world when Derek Chauvin, the former Minnesota police officer who killed Floyd after kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes, was convicted of Floyd’s murder.
Although I was pleased with the trial’s outcome, I refuse to treat Chauvin’s conviction and the many calls for justice that followed Floyd’s death as anything more than what they are — a deadly police officer being held accountable for a murder he committed. Chauvin’s conviction is not an indication of justice being served for George Floyd. If Floyd had justice, he would still be alive.
As I reflect on Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests and demands made for Black lives, I can’t help but be encouraged by the momentum created in the fight against anti-Blackness. But I also often find myself giving a sharp side-eye to some of the sorry performative calls for justice that only scratch the surface of racism in America.
Justice is not a favor, a miracle, a handout, or a kind…
