Black men across the country are feeling the effects of what it’s like to be a Black man in America as we mark the year anniversary of the death of George Floyd.
Floyd’s death caused the entire nation to open their eyes to the harsh realities of what it’s like to be Black in America.
Some Black men like poet and author Boris “Bluz” Rodgers said there’s a numbness that follows when another Black man is killed by the hands of the police.
Rodgers said seeing someone who looks like him die the way he did, was traumatizing for him.
“I think the numbness is setting yourself up for the injustice that would follow,” Rodgers said. “You want to be angry because you think something will happen and change if you’re angry, but the history of this country has taught us that no matter how bad we get it won’t change.”
Change seems to be the theme of 2021, as last year showed the entire country that racism is still alive and well in America.
Minority groups such as the Asian community have received support from lawmakers and even President Joe Biden as he signed the Anti-Asian Hate Bill on Thursday.
The bill aims to protect and address the spike of hate crimes against the Asian community. It took the bill 28 days to reach President Biden’s desk.
Journalist and historian Drew Sankofa said he’s disappointed in Joe Biden’s lack of actions towards the Black community since he’s been in office.
“The justice system has been against the Black man and woman and has been since its inception,” Sankofa said. “There are no laws to protect specifically the Black man and woman.”
According to Mapping Police Violence 89 Black people have been killed by the police in 2021. That number is down by 16, as in 2020 a total of 105 Black people were killed by police.
Russel Drake is the founder of Build up Black Daily and in his 4 decades of living, he hasn’t seen an officer found guilty for killing an unarmed Black man until Derek Chauvin.
Chauvin was found guilty for killing George Floyd by putting his knee on his neck for eight minutes.
“Officers were just sitting there while he [Chauvin] was pinning George Floyd down,” Drake said. “I didnt think I’d see a lynching until I saw that.”
Drake said to be a Black man in America means never having a true sense of comfort. He encourages Black men and the entire Black community to channel their energy towards positive actions.
“We’re built strong,” Drake said. “Because we’re built strong, sometimes we have to endure more, but we will overcome.”
America has a long way to go in its efforts to support the Black community. Black men continue to be perceived as a threat based on the color of their skin and microaggressions continue to fill “safe spaces” for Black men.
As famous African-American poet James Baldwin once said, “I am what time, circumstance, history, have made of me, certainly, but I am also, much more than that. So are we all.”
