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Born with two strikes: How systemic racism shaped Floyd's life and hobbled his ambition [washingtonpost.com]

 

By Toluse Olorunnipa and Griff Witte, The Washington Post, October 8, 2020

His life began as the last embers of the civil rights movement were flickering out. Its horrific, videotaped end ignited the largest anti-racism movement since, with demonstrators the world over marching for racial justice in his name.

During the 46 years in between, George Perry Floyd came of age as the strictures of Jim Crow discrimination in America gave way to an insidious form of systemic racism, one that continually undercut his ambitions.

Early in life, he wanted to be a Supreme Court justice. Then, a pro athlete. At the end, he just longed for a little stability, training to be a commercial truck driver.

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Although research reveals infants demonstrate a preference for caregivers of their own race, any future racial biases generally are environmentally acquired.      

One way of rectifying this bias is by allowing young children to become accustomed to other races in a harmoniously positive manner.      

Adult racist sentiments, however, are often cemented by a misguided yet strong sense of entitlement, perhaps also acquired from rearing.      

Fortunately, at a very young age I was emphatically told by my mother about the exceptionally kind and caring nature of our black family doctor.      

She never had anything disdainful to say about people of color; in fact she loves to watch/listen to the Middle Eastern and Indian subcontinental dancers and musicians on the multicultural channels.      

Conversely, if she’d told me the opposite about the doctor, I could’ve aged while blindly linking his color with an unjustly cynical view of him and all black people.       

Thus essentially by chance I reached adulthood unstricken by uncontrolled feelings of racial contempt seeking expression.      

Not as lucky, some peopleβ€”who may now be in an armed authority capacityβ€”were raised with a distrust or blind dislike of other racial groups.      

Regardless, the first step towards changing our irrationally biased thinking is our awareness of it and its origin.      

But until then, ugly sentiments must be either suppressed or professionally dealt with, especially when considering the mentality is easily inflamed by anger.      

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