Reflecting on George Floyd:
The Only Thing I Understand Is That I Don’t At All Understand
Article & Photos by: allie albanese
Enough is enough. It’s time to listen and to do the work. George Floyd must not become another distant memory.
On Monday evening, May 25, 2020, 46-year-old George Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes at Cup Foods Deli in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Shortly thereafter he was accused by deli employees of paying for those cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill and the police were called. 17 minutes after they arrived on the scene and arrested him, George was dead. He was murdered by Derek Chauvin, an officer with 18 previous complaints filed against him, while three other officers stood by and did nothing.
It took only 8 minutes and 46 seconds for Derek Chauvin to claim the life of this innocent man. To press his knee into his neck and cut off his air supply. To ignore him 16 times when he said he couldn’t breathe and begged for his life. To disregard the helpless cries of bystanders pleading with him to stop. To asphyxiate and kill him.
All because George was Black.
It’s Time to Get Uncomfortable
I recount this story not for you. But for myself. Because writing those words is uncomfortable. Because reliving the video images of George’s lifeless body pinned under the knee of a police officer is uncomfortable. Because acknowledging and accepting that racism is as alive and well today as it ever was is uncomfortable. Because recognizing that I am a privileged white person who hasn’t fully done my part to be antiracist is uncomfortable.
And it’s well past time for the White community to get uncomfortable.
I’ve never considered myself racist. Despite growing up in the south where racial inequality and injustice were (and are) blatant, I was raised in a home where we weren’t taught to see color and where bigotry wasn’t tolerated in any way. I’ve always had black friends. I’ve championed equal rights. I’ve participated in protests and marches. I’ve spoken up and spoken out. I’ve empathized and loved. I’ve not discriminated. I’ve done all the things I thought you do when you’re not a racist person.
But boy, have I had it all wrong. Not only have I failed to properly take stock of my white privilege, I’ve failed to understand that there’s no such thing as “not being racist.” You’re either racist or you’re antiracist. And I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been so incredibly unaware.
To my Black friends and to the Black community: I’m sorry.
The Only Thing I Really understand is that I do not At all understand
And I will never understand. But this isn’t about me. It’s about change. It’s about taking it upon myself as a white person to educate myself. To stop talking and listen. To find ways to support the Black community in actions, not just in words. To speak up and speak out. It’s about taking responsibility and doing the work that needed to be done long before now.
I’m not in the position to tell anybody what to do – Lord knows I have enough listening and learning of my own to do and the last thing this world needs is another hypocrite. But I will not be white and silent. I pledge to do the work and to use my voice to fight this battle. And to do so for the long term. Not just in this moment when all eyes are on the issue, but when they are not. Because we can’t let the news cycle shift and George Floyd to become another distant memory as has happened over and over and over again.
Enough is enough.
How to Educate yourself
For anyone looking for a place to start or for more resources to educate yourself, below is a list of articles I’ve read and videos I’ve watched in my own search for guidance thus far that I hope can be helpful to you as well. I’m also sharing the list of antiracist books I’ve started to compile based on recommendations from my Black friends and from Black activists and leaders, as well as links to antiracist organizations you can get involved with and donate to.
I recognize that these lists are only scraping the surface, so please leave a comment or send me an email if you have recommendations to add. I welcome your input and would love for this to be a community effort, where we join forces and commit our efforts to the Black community in hopes of effecting real and lasting change.
The more voices, the louder the cry.
Articles and videos of Note:
Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History
By Larry Buchanan, Quoctrung Bui and Jugal K. Patel, New York Times
Alicia Garza Co-Founded Black Lives Matter. Here’s Why She’s So Hopeful for the Future.
By Rachel Hartigan, National Geographic
AP Changes Writing Style to Capitalize “B” in Black
By The Associated Press
Change Can Happen: Black Families on Racism, Hope and Parenting
By Patti Neighmond, NPR
As BLM Goes Global, It’s Building on Centuries of Black Internationalist Struggle
By Brandon R. Byrd, World Politics Review
How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change
By Barack Obama, Medium
Black and Brown People Have Been Protesting for Centuries. It’s White People Who Are Responsible for What Happens Next.
By Savala Trepczynski, Time
The American Nightmare: To be Black and Conscious of Anti-Black Racism is to Stare into the Mirror of Your Own Extinction
By Ibram X. Kendi, The Atlantic
5 Things White People Can Do Right Now to Combat White Supremacist Violence
By Showing Up For Racial Justice, Medium
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
By Peggy McIntosh
Me and White Supremacy: How to Check Your White Privilege
By Zoe Beaty
How Amy Cooper and George Floyd Represent Two Versions of Racism that Black Americans Face Every Day
By Michele Norris, The Washington Post
The 1619 Project
By The New York Times Magazine
We are All Horrified, but Only White People Have the Luxury of Being Shocked
By Mary McNamara, LA Times
Dear White People: Here Are 10 Actions You Can Take To Promote Racial Justice in the Workplace
By Dana Brownlee, Forbes
White America: If You Want to Know Who’s Responsible for Racism, Look in the Mirror
By Dahleen Glanton, Chicago Tribune
White People, If You’re Angry About George Floyd You Should Stay That Way
By Georgia Aspinal, Grazia
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What Do We Tell Our Children?
By Alia Dastagir, USA Today
How to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality
By Claire Lampen, The Cut
If You’re a White Person Wondering What to Do During the George Floyd Protests, I have Some Advice
By Michael Crawford, Independent
Why You Need to Stop Saying ‘All Lives Matter’
By Rachel Elizabeth Cargle
Racism is a Public Health Issue and ‘Police Brutality Must Stop,’ Medical Groups Say
By Jacqueline Howard, CNN
Black Parents Explain How to Deal with Police
By Cut (@cut)
White People Let this be a Lesson
By Gary Chambers, Jr. (@garychambersjr)
Congrats, You Woke Up. Now What?
By Danielle Prescod
Do the Work: Be an Ally in Deed Not Only in Word
By Shakera Jones (@BlackGirlsDineToo)
George Floyd and the Dominoes of Racial Injustice
By Trevor Noah
Important Books:
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
By Ibram X. Kendi
Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics and Big Business Re-Create Race in the Twenty-First Century
By Dorothy Roberts
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
By Robin DiAngelo
The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime and the Making of Modern Urban America
By Khalil Gibran Muhammad
They Can’t Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era In America’s Racial Justice Movement
By Wesley Lowery
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race
By Beverly Daniel Tatum
So You Want to Talk About Race
By Ijeoma Oluo
Between The World And Me
By Ta-Nehisi Coates
How to Be an Antiracist
By Ibram X. Kendi
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
By Richard Rothstein
Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland
By Jonathan M. Metzl
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
By Layla F. Saad
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
By Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele
Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America
By Peniel E. Joseph
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle
By Angela Davis
The Fire Next Time
By James Baldwin
This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work
By Tiffany Jewell
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
By Malcolm X and Alex Haley
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
By Michelle Alexander
Where to Get Involved and donate
ACLU
Communities United Against Police Brutality
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
A writer and photographer, Allie Albanese is the founder and curator of Parched Around the World. Here she aims to tell stories about the intersection of food, drinks, cultures, and traditions in places near and far.
Allie holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from American University and, for more than a decade, has worked as a freelance travel, food, and drinks journalist for various publications across the United States and abroad.
When not out exploring the world in search of the next story to tell, she calls her beloved St. Simons Island, Georgia home.
Disclosure: Articles throughout Parched Around the World may contain affiliate links, which means if you purchase something using one of them, I may earn a small commission for sharing items I personally use and love. This comes at no cost to you, but helps support Parched and allows me to keep this website running! For more information, please see my full Privacy Policy.
Hi Friends, I’m Allie!
I’m an Italian-German-Southerner with a deep passion for food, drinks & travel. After 15 years in NYC as a Certified Sommelier & cocktail creator, plus a stint in New Zealand learning how to make wine, I’m now back home in Georgia where I blend my love for culinary arts & travel into my work as a writer & photographer. Thank you so much for joining me here at Parched where I look forward to exploring the world together one bite, sip & adventure at a time!
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I’ll definitely be coming back to your website to read more.
I’m very happy to hear that! Thank you for your support.
Very practical and actionable tips.
Thank you for saying that. There are definitely things we can all do to learn more and try to make a difference.