PURSUING A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE RACIAL PROTESTS following the killing of George Floyd
Ricardo D. Stanton-Salazar, Ph.D.
Developmental Editor (Journal manuscripts) ........... at Stanton-Salazar Editing
I don't offer here answers to serious questions surrounding the protests happening around the country in response to the murder of George Floyd. I only hope to point in the right direction.
When a volcano erupts, all we see from the ground is ferocious FIRE, SMOKE, and hot lava; at that moment that’s all we see and care about. We may feel alarm, fear, and despair at the destruction of our homes—all understandable. Yet, under the volcano, deep into the earth, is where we find the source, a deeper understanding. With the nation’s “riots,” we’ve seen the fire and the smoke, and a people’s anger and the moral outrage. But what is the source? How can we gain a better understanding of these, often violent rebellions? What is bigotry, and how is that different from “structural racism”? Who qualifies as “racist”? What are examples of structural racism today? (e.g., voting rights, housing discrimination, joblessness, the penal system, policing, etc.). My students, colleagues, and I have wrestled with these issues for years—a deeper understanding of race and society takes time, effort, and patience. Here is one document I prepared for my students in 2016:
Award-winning author. Bilingual Nonfiction Editor (specializing in business networking, memoir, cookbooks, gardening books, and reviews of Spanish translations)
4 年We all need this continuing education. We need to read the good, the excellent, as well as the bad to be able to discern facts, learn how to talk about issues and form our own opinions. Every bit counts.