The murder of George Floyd and the massive Black Lives Matter protests that broke out across the country in the summer of 2020 indicate that, more than a century and a half after the abolition of slavery, there remains a long way to go until African Americans have the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as their white compatriots.
I am displeased with this statement as it does not take into account the great strides made by the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Since then, all Americans have been subject to the same laws and have had the ability to exercise their rights.
The racism that some people experience is not sanctioned by the state, rather it comes from individuals who hold prejudices against them. While the state is responsible for curbing individuals from acting upon their prejudices, it is the ultimately the individual himself that must change. Often, these individuals who harbor resentment toward other ehtnicites have experienced their own traumas in life (i.e. parental abuse, poverty, etc) and exercise their discontent upon others.
