On May 25th 2020, the world witnessed a tragedy that sparked global outrage: a white police officer murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old african american man in Minneapolis. This horrific event became a symbol of systemic racism and the countless injustices faced by Black communities worldwide.
Trevor Noah‘s powerful words on racial oppression offer a lens through which we can understand the deep psychological and societal impacts of such injustice: « Imagine living in a community, every single day someone is there oppressing you… What that does to you as a society, as a community, as a group of persons? It’s happening to you because you’re the only one having that skin colour. » His words highlight the trauma caused by racial discrimination.
Similar events of racial injustice have occurred globally. For instance, on June 2nd, 2020, an investigation report revealed that Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old Black man from the suburbs of Paris, died from asphyxiation after being detained by French police in 2016. His case is a tragic reminder that racial injustice is not confined to the United States; it transcends borders and highlights systemic issues that continue to affect Black communities worldwide.
Racism is not merely a matter of individual prejudice — it is fundamentally about power. It operates as a system that structure social relations both internally and internationally, systematically privileging one group over others. This power imbalance is perpetuated by societal institutions — such as the police, the justice system, and education—that uphold the status quo. The refusal to implement effective corrective policies only reinforces these structures, making it more difficult to dismantle the system of racial inequality. Indeed, what interest would a group in a position of power have in being stripped of its privileges?
As Desmond Tutu, once said, « If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor » (Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 1984). In moments of violence, silence is complicity. We must recognize the interconnectedness of these struggles and actively work towards dismantling the structures that perpetuate racial inequality.
Racial injustice is not just history; it is a current reality that demands commitment to education for change. Friendly reminder: scientifically speaking, races do not exist.
