The United States is speechless right now. It seems as if we have taken two steps backward as if things are falling apart. Each week there is a new tragedy, some shining story that every media outlet latches on to, only for it to fade into the background within a matter of days.
We will mourn the deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and those who died in the mass shooting Thursday. And we should. We’ll post on Facebook that our thoughts and prayers are with the families. We will watch President Obama’s eyes grow tired as he repeats himself for the umpteenth time in front of the nation, urging them to make a change.
Yet, after the story loses its sting, we will patch up our hearts, try to forget what happened, and continue on with the steady pace of life. We will become desensitized to the violence we see on television, content with it as long as it steers clear of our own lives. That is by far one of the greatest tragedies.
A study by Pew Research Center shows that 38 percent of white Americans feel that the United States has made the necessary changes to give black Americans equal rights to whites, compared to only eight percent of black Americans. These statistics speak volumes to the differences in how each race views its place in society.
Black Americans still feel as if they are treated unequally, which in turn causes conflict with a race that doesn’t necessarily feel the same, or at least not to the same degree. The amount of racial tension between black Americans and white law enforcement officers is a prime example of this, and incidents have been portrayed in the media for decades.
Of course, all of these incidents also lead to stereotypes about both groups, and in turn a self-fulfilling of sorts. Blacks may think that law enforcement is out to get them, while white police officers may have a view that blacks are particularly aggressive and hate the police. No matter how distorted these two views may be, if left unchecked, the end result is always tragic. An innocent black American’s life is taken. Five innocent officers are killed in what was meant to be a peaceful protest.
The sacrificing of innocent lives needs to stop. In order to truly fix the problem, we must get to the root of it. We must not ignore our nation’s past, and recognize that we are still suffering the effects of slavery and segregation, no matter how many years pass. We may think that we are dealing with only scar tissue now, but we still have open wounds.
The issue we are facing cannot be solved with gun control legislation, it is a social issue that must be solved long before someone thinks about pulling the trigger. Police departments, especially those with few minority officers, need to ensure that everyone is trained to build positive relationships with minority communities. This starts with minority relations committees and cops interacting off-duty in the area in which they police. It is only then that they will be able to create a trust and better interactions with the minority population.
Meanwhile, blacks must push to let the nation know that their lives do in fact matter while working to realize that not all cops are actively searching for a black American to arrest.
Lastly, we as a nation cannot forget this incident if we do not wish to repeat it. We must stop trying to build a colorblind society that seeks to ignore racial issues because they are not going anywhere. Instead, we should strive to create a nation that embraces our differences, and uses them to propel society forward.
Then those who have died for the cause will not have done so in vain.
