Emanating as a hashtag, Black Lives Matter (BLM) is now a full-fledged movement aimed at curbing police brutality against african americans.
Initially a movement which was limited to the US, it has experienced an upsurge in recent times. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other black civilians in the US have sparked a contagious rage. Cities as far as London, Berlin, Melbourne, and Tokyo have seen huge demonstrations in solidarity with the growing BLM uprisings.
Protests demanding racial justice in the wake of these recent deaths, have left America and the rest of the world infuriated by racial violence and energized to end discrimination.
It’s not just about police brutality. Each sphere of life is affected by such prejudices. Even during natural calamities and pandemics people of colour are more vulnerable due to the pre-existsing inequities that disadvantage them making them more susceptible to severe illnesses, or even death.
Amidst the protests, petitions and proposed policies, the change,though not enough, is visible. While we can see a rainbow beginning to shine through the fog of racism, there is still a long road ahead to traverse.
Coming home, the BLM movement in the US is a great opportunity for India to introspect its own past and present. While we lend our voice to that campaign, we must also attempt to question our own biases in terms of caste, creed and gender.