Making a Real Change

“Equal justice under law.” A phrase engraved on the front of the United States Supreme Court. A societal ideal that influences our legal system. A symbol that rallies our trust and instills it in our justice system. The 14th amendment, ratified in 1868, guaranteed all citizens “equal protections of the law” (History.com Editors, 2009). This amendment, passed during the Reconstruction Era, aimed to abolish slavery and establish civil and legal rights for all (History.com Editors, 2009). As a nation, we have come a long way since the Civil War. Day by day, individuals are fighting to eliminate racism among other crimes. Unfortunately, it has not been enough. A tragedy took place on May 25, 2020. George Floyd, a 46 year-old African American man, was accused of using a $20 counterfeit bill to buy a pack of cigarettes at a deli (Hill, 2020). The consequence of this incident was his unforeseen death, after being pinned down on the ground by a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while three other policemen stood by, ignoring his pleas for air. This incident has unleashed a wave of protests and riots across our nation. 

While it is vital for us to realize the importance of equal justice for all, it is also critical to understand the consequences of our actions imposed on innocent bystanders. Hundreds of businesses were put into financial jeopardy when their windows were smashed and their goods stolen (Markos, 2020). It is an important time for us to reflect on the injustice that still exists in our world and recognize the weaknesses within our justice system and its structure. It is critical for us to understand the meaning of being part of the police force and what individuals can do to slowly impact our world to bring complete and equal justice for all as we envisioned in 1868. 

Injustice happens every day of our lives. George Floyd was not the only black man who has been killed mercilessly by police officers.  Many others were killed because individual police officers were ignorant of the law and our justice system, for example: Breonna Talyer, a 26 year-old African American female, was shot at least eight times after police officers broke into her home looking for her ex-boyfriend’s belongings (Oppel, 2020). The action of these policemen has saddened the nation and raised an abundance of doubts in the strength of our legal system and government authorities. They are supposed to be the backbone and enforcers of law and order. It is a hard fact that the nation must understand and swallow. Although we, as a nation, are responding to the injustices, but the cost of this realization is the deaths of many. 

Given the enormous uncertainty our generation is facing around COVID-19, this incident has only added more doubts in our trust in our government. The question remains, what can we do to bring real and lasting change? Awareness of the injustice that still exists is the first step to real change. It takes more than a dozen lawyers and government officials to enforce law and order. Everyday, lawyers are fighting for their clients’ voices to be heard. Education is one of the biggest factors that can help us and the next generation. Indirectly, this incident has shed light on how our education system is far from perfect. Education will reveal the injustice that has happened in the past, while continuing to search for ways to improve our justice system. Statistics indicate that low-income students cannot afford 95 percent of colleges (Bidwell, 2017). Among public schools, two-year and four-year institutions miss these students’ affordability threshold by $7,000 to  $9,000 (Bidwell, 2017). Private schools miss the affordability threshold  on average by $16,000 to $18,000 (Bidwell, 2017). While the College Affordability Act, passed on Oct 31, 2019, aims to lower the cost of college for students and families by reinvesting in higher education, it is nowhere close to ensuring education for all (Education & Labor Committee, 2019). The expensive tuition bills still result in tremendous inequity, effectively shutting students with lower income backgrounds out of proper undergraduate education, let alone law school so they can become lawyers. It is critical that we reflect on decreasing the injustice in our world from the very beginning. In order for our next generation to be educated and well informed of our history, they must be given the chance to receive the support of a proper education from our government, enabling them to better enforce law and order as educated citizens. 

Riots and protests will give individuals the power to voice their opinions, but in order to make a lasting change, change needs to take place in our judicial system and law enforcers. Legislation like the College Affordability Act, which recognizes the rising cost of college and encourages the creation of federal-state partnerships to reinvest in public colleges and universities,  should be promoted and emphasized (Education & Labor Committee, 2019). Education will give us the knowledge of the world around us so we can change it into something better (Doumbia, 2013). It will give us a perspective on life, while we build our own points of view (Doumbia, 2013). While we remember the people who were killed during this era when injustice still exists in our everyday life, education, among other legislations, is one means by which we can hopefully unlock a world where we are able to eliminate injustice and receive equal protection under the law. 

While we reflect on the traumatic events that have happened in the past, it is critical for us to also find out why such events are happening to prevent repeats in the future. From this incident, many are realizing that perhaps we are not putting enough funds into social programs, others are questioning our allocation of funds in the federal government and others vow to take the time to learn more about the origin of the BLM community. The George Floyd incident has opened our eyes to the on-going discrimination and inequity that has long been happening in the world. Change will not happen overnight, but this incident has sparked conversations about equality all over the world. 

Works Cited:

Bidwell, A. (2017, March 23). Report: Low-Income Students Cannot Afford 95 Percent of Colleges. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/11623/Report_Low-Income_Students_Cannot_Afford_95_Percent_of_Colleges

Doumbia, K. (2013, August 19). Why is Education So Important in Our Life? - Kafoumba Doumbia - EdLab. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://edlab.tc.columbia.edu/blog/9886-Why-is-Education-So-Important-in-Our-Life#:~:text=Education gives us a knowledge,only thing that gives knowledge.

Education & Labor Committee. (2019, October 15). College Affordability Act Fact Sheet. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://edlabor.house.gov/imo/media/doc/The%20College%20Affordability%20Act%20-%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Hill, E., Tiefenthäler, A., Triebert, C., Jordan, D., Willis, H., & Stein, R. (2020, June 01). 8 Minutes and 46 Seconds: How George Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html

History.com Editors. (2009, November 09). 14th Amendment. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/fourteenth-amendment

Markos, M. (2020, June 01). 'Chaos': Boston Left Reeling After Peaceful Protests Turn Violent Overnight. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/dozens-arrested-stores-damaged-in-boston-protests-overnight/2134658/

Oppel, R. A., & Taylor, D. B. (2020, May 30). Here's What You Need to Know About Breonna Taylor's Death. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/article/breonna-taylor-police.html