Thousands of people around the world are sending a dual message to Americans as they protest the death of George Floyd, the latest casualty of the systemic violence against Black residents of the U.S.
Since Floyd died after a white police officer pinned him down by the neck — sparking international protest and outcry — it’s clear that deep skepticism persists worldwide about America’s commitment to racial justice and that people connected to the U.S., officials or others, will be asked to answer for it for years to come.
Before President Donald Trump threatened to violently suppress demonstrations in memory of Floyd, before the spread of recording equipment let the world witness how U.S. police brutalize non-white bodies and before “I can’t breathe” became a global rallying cry challenging American cruelty and injustice, America tried to explain its racism to the world.
Other Black Americans later echoed that sense of feeling fully acknowledged as human beings when they were away from American racism, even in other societies designed to benefit white people.
Tying Black Americans’ plight to the pain of European colonialism in Africa showed that as America’s prominence grew, so would the world’s knowledge of its domestic failings ― and that as powerful Americans united with leaders of other countries to shape global affairs with little regard for most people of color, other international bonds would flourish, too.
