Recent protests leave us internationally reflective on the cultural shift toward a no-nonsense approach to intolerance. The world is no longer an ignorant enough place to accept bias and discrimination with regards to race and culture or any other forms of xenophobic rationalizations. Conscious and progressive, the average person is more than aware of their forward-thinking place in society and their role in moving into the future with an understanding and a sense of true community. The global landscape of business and interaction has molded pop-culture in support of people of all races, ethnicities and national origins.

However, with the recent outcry surrounding the death of George Floyd, Ahmad Arbey and Brianna Taylor we’ve begun to recognize a flaw in our progress. Our steps forward began to show signs of recurrent historical injustices with regards to equal protection under the law and due process. The murders gave us a quick reality check needed to examine how we view the application of laws in our current society. Reminding us of times of constant fights for justice and equal rights.

The importance of sensitivity around inequities in our justice system and how people of color have been underserved by a huge margin, have led us to revisit protest as a means to being heard. Though we’ve addressed these issues in the past, their historical ramifications are still very apparent. It seems, the more we bury issues of race and disparity, the more they rear their head in present day issues as unresolved causing upheaval and disgust. The struggle toward progress persists, leaving people of color in the minority and in need of adequate representation and equal protection.

Though All Lives Matter, Black lives require more advocacy due to long-standing and systemic racism that persists and is heavily ingrained in our justice system and society. So, how do we move forward without more revisits to the past? With the Z generation, we’d hope we could approach the issues of race, injustice and equality from an educational standpoint reflective on moves forward without having to relive them on the day-to-day. Instead of having the past as a means of education and reflection, it seems we are being forced to revisit the struggles of our ancestors with modern day trials reminiscent of the past. It’s unfortunate we face these problems once again as a society and have-to take a head-on approach to change. How many times must we be handed the same problem and be forced to push toward a solution. Same problem, same solution. Hopefully, this time we’ll learn. 

K.S