George Floyd was murdered by four police officers as he begged for his life because of the color of his skin. Should they have been fired? Yes. Should they be prosecuted? Yes. But this isn’t a one-off incident. This has been happening since the dawn of our nation. 1/5

“I can’t breathe.”

The final words of Mr. Floyd echo those of Eric Garner and countless African Americans who have had their lives cut short or forever altered by the very people sworn to protect them. These images leave many feeling anger, fear, frustration, and pain. 2/5

In these images, African Americans see their children, they see their loved ones, they see themselves. Being Black in America means living with the fear that every interaction with law enforcement is a possible life or death situation. 3/5

When these difficult conversations come up, people like to mention how far we& #39;ve come as a country.

“Slavery ended 150 years ago”
“We passed the Civil Rights Act”
“Jim Crow is gone”
“We elected a black President”

They argue that these somehow mean we are past racism. 4/5

But on days like today, it& #39;s important to remember how much the color of our skin still impacts our lives. It determines where we live, the schools we go to, how much we earn, the opportunities we are provided, and - yes - whether our lives matter.

We have a long way to go. 5/5