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Why has US failed to fight racism? 

Why has US failed to fight racism? 

George Floyd

The United States recently slapped sanctions on Chinese officials.Do you know why?For 'serious human rights abuses targeting Uighurs'.

The US also imposed sanctions on Cuba's Interior Minister.What for?'serious human rights violations'.

On the December10,2020, the US announced sanctions against firms and individuals from Haiti,Yemenand Russia.Again, what for?

Serious human rights violations!

Here's the document.Let's rewind.7 months before the release of thisdocument.

In the very same United States,a man's most basic right,the right to life,was snatched away from him.

Officers knelt on his neck and chocked him to death.GeorgeFloydwas one of the 4 people ofcolourto be killed byAmericancops in 2020.Between 2013 and 2019, 42 of every 1 millionAfrican-Americanswere killed in police shooting.

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Where was the American human rights police then?And what exactly was the treasury department doing?

Perhaps, schooling other countries on human rights.Washington wants to champion this causebut it has failed to protect the rights of its own people.

America dishes out sanctions abroadbutat home,it turns a blind eye to human rightsviolations.

In 2019, 65% of Americans said it was common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views.Why does racism continue to fester in the US?

For starters, America has ahistoryof systemic racism,a legacy of slavery and Jim Crow,one where treating people ofcolouras inferioror the lesser lotwasnormalisedand totally legal.

Today, slavery has been outlawed.It's been over 150 years since America passed the 13th amendment actbut in practice,the legacy of racism continuestoshadowthe life of every blackAmerican.

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In 2018, 88% of the people stopped by the police in NewYorkCity were black orlatinAmerican.

70% of them were innocent.This is according to the NewYorkCivil Liberties Union.

Racism in the United States exacerbated post 9/11.Prejudice was now laced with Islamophobia.Muslims were vilified,so were Sikhs,Arabsand people of South Asiandescent.They were all called names,Taliban,terrorist,OsamaBin Laden'.

The Attorneys offices have investigated 800 incidents involving violence, threats, vandalism and arson against Arab-americans, Muslims, Sikhs, South-Asian Americans and thoseperceived to be of middle eastern origin,all post 9/11.

In 2009, Barack Obama entered the White House with a promise to end racism.What happened?For years,American leaders have leveraged racism,peddled the issue of race to garner support from whiteamericans.In the 1960s, Richard Nixon stirred up the fear of black empowerment.

In 2016, it was Donald Trump fanning the flames of racism once again,fuellingwhite supremacy.Trump may be gone, but Trumpism stays.In fact, it's become worse.

What happened toMuslimspost 9/11,also happened to Asian Americans since thecoronavirus outbreak.Hate crimes against them increased nearly 150%.Nearly 3,800 hate crimes were recorded between March 2020 and March 2021.

68% of these were against women.The pandemickilled people ofcolourat higher rates.

Exposed America's health disparity.It was in the middle of the very same pandemic that George Floyd was killed.The murder exposed America's 'us' versus 'them' divide.

It also triggered the largest massdemonstrationin American history.

Drew 9% of the country to the streetsbut what has changed?

Cut toNovember, andDonaldTrump increased his votes,his supporters targeted Ilhan Omar,the Congresswoman from George Floyd's home state ofMinessota,send her back the white supremacist chanted.

The question is sent her back where?From George Floyd to Rayshard Brooks and Daniel Prude.They were or are just as American.Their identity is notdependanton thecolourof their skin.How long before Americansrealisethis?Here's something KamalaHarrisrecently said,'Racism is real inAmerica, and it has always been. Xenophobia is real in America and always has been'.

It's high time authorities did something about it,instead of preaching others, perhaps look at their own record.The US cannot be hoisting the flag of liberty with its knee on the neck of a black man.

It cannot be celebrating theAmericandream by choking the dreams of minorities.Slavery was a southern evil.Racism ispan-American.As of 2019, 78% of blacks believe thatAmericahas not gone far enough in giving blacks equal rights with the whites.50% believe blacks will never likely have equalrights.

84% believe the legacy of slavery affects the position of black people inAmericansociety.71% think race relations in the US are generally bad.

Washington must acknowledge thesefaultlinesfirst when later tonight it sits in the judgment of 200countries.

The US is evaluating the status of 200 countries on human rights. It is set to release its report on human rights practices.Look inwards.Charity, as they say, begins at home.