Is social media the new means to help root out racism in our communities? 

A few weeks ago, the world watched eagerly for the truth we all knew but needed to be acknowledged. From George Floyd’s unheard cry “I can't breathe”, the world has been on edge, looking up to the law to deliver justice and right the wrong meted out to people from ethnic communities. With the jurors pronouncing Derek Chauvin guilty of murder, and with this conviction on record, we can finally exhale.

For those from minority backgrounds, the worry of knowing that those supposed to protect you could instead murder you and walk free is appalling. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the numerous families grieving for the loss of loved ones in such tragic circumstances. Call it an act of racism or ignorance, manslaughter or anger; either way, every individual has a right to live and be dealt with humanely.

The verdict to many of us signifies hope, and that technology can benefit the cause of justice in more ways than one. If it had not been the quick thinking of Darnella Frezier, who recorded the crime on her mobile phone, Derek Chauvin would still be patrolling the streets of Minneapolis as a police officer, and George Floyd’s death would have been treated as another black life that did not matter. 

A great number of western institutions were founded on prejudice against people from different backgrounds. It is not surprising that systemic racism has become normalised to the point that these institutions don't think it exists.  Radley Balko from The Washington Post defined systemic racism as having “systems and institutions that produce racially disparate outcomes, regardless of the intentions of the people who work within them” which adequately supports the notion that this is a deep entrenched issue.

Evidently, systemic racism is not only an American problem, the UK has a similar issue and we are gradually seeing more exposure and calls for change on various platforms. The investigation into the activities of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, triggered by a documentary presented by David Lammy MP, exposed the commission for failing to properly commemorate fallen African and Asian soldiers who fought for the former British empire, in comparison to their white counterparts. The report highlighted that systemic racism had played a key role in their treatment and the commission have had to apologise, two years after the documentary had been released. 

Making public statements on racism or commissioning reports to show support for race and equality does not equate to commitment. Technology has given minority communities a voice to expose systemic racism within our institutions in a way mainstream media has not been able to so institutions should take cue from recent events and consider the reputational damage they could face should history keep repeating itself.

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