Systemic racism is not something new. African-Americans have been receiving the blunt end of it for years now and all because of the colour of their skin. With the murder of George Floyd, people have come out on the streets protesting, demanding justice for Floyd and for the several other African-Americans that have been killed because of their colour of skin.
Indian-American leaders, from the activists to the heads of the multinationals have further spoken out against the death of Floyd, urging their community to come together fight for justice and basic rights of the Black community.
The Indian-American exult in their achievements and several people do believe that they have a seat and power of voice that they need to use at this moment to demand justice and embrace the responsibility to make American a country that treats all its citizens the same.
It doesn’t require any clarifications that the death of George Floyd was a cold blooded murder. There is no “two sides” to that. The profound news coverage of the riots that have been happening around has been taking away the light from the actual event that happened and that needs justice.
As of the first day of June, the National Guard have been activated in 23 states in the country and thousands of protestors have been arrested.
With the recent string of deaths of the African-Americans including Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, or the 2014 incident with Eric Garner in New York City, Floyd’s death was like the last nail to the coffin that enraged every person who has been consistently oppressed because of the colour of their skin.
Simulatenously, the similar impacts of the same are not immune to the Indian-American community as well. Things escalated during one of the interactions a few days back when Amy Cooper, an US citizen called 911 to report on a Black man that asked her to simply leash her dog in Central Park.
Condemned by the widespread
It is not news that people, who don’t support systemic racism and understand how wrong this is have spoken against it and even tried to educate people around them. Indian-American individuals with an influence on people including Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, Satya Nadela, CEO of Microsoft and Vanita Gupta, CEO of the largest civil rights organization in the country, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights have vehemently condemned the murder of George Floyd.
Several other organisations including South Asian Americans Leading Together, South Asians for America and Hindu American Foundation have come together to stand in solidarity with the Black community.
“The Indian-American community should get very involved. This kind of racial hatred and animosity is unacceptable. We empathize. Our own religion, culture and way of life has faced discrimination. By joining this movement against systemic racism, we ensure that all communities are treated equally,” said Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media.
Indian-American Community Organisations
It is not the superficial support that the Indian-Americans have lent forward.
Anil Bansal, who is the president of the Federation of Indian Associations in the tri-state area stated saying that the Indian-American community can’t just rely on their leaders to bring the change that they want to see. It is necessary for an individual to do their part as well.
“A wider section of our community must speak out. We cannot just be happy that Indian (American) leaders are speaking as if on our behalf,” said Bansal.
Given that this is a minority issue and since the Indian-Americans fall into the category of minority, it is necessary that we use our voice to support these individuals.
It is extremely important for the Indian-American community to come together and unite and speak in support of the African-Americans during these times of crisis. It is necessary to work out ways to help bring change in a peaceful way.
“We may forget the past when we were discriminated against more than 100 years ago, but we should not forget that the latest wave of Indian immigrants (in the 1960s and 1970s). We are here because of the African American struggle for civil liberties,” Bansal further added.
The Hindu American Foundation, in their statement, directly addressed the lawmakers and the law enforcement officials demanding an answer.
Suhag Shukla, who is the executive director of HAF stated saying that as Americans, we need to fight two things- the fact that the founders of US created a nation with philosophical freedom and equality for all its residents and secondly, that the nation was built on the backs of the enslaved Africans.
The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin also condemned the act of systemic racism and the violence that still prevails against the Black community in America.
“As American Physicians of Indian-origin, we are unanimously outraged by George Floyd’s death and the long history of racial discrimination that lives in this country,” said Dr. Suresh Reddy, president of AAPI.
Responsibility from the corporate sector
The constant news regarding the hate and racism in US is not new.
“It’s far too often the experience and reality in daily lives, particularly for the Black and African American community,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.
There is no place for constant hate and racism in the country and it is extremely important for the people to share empathy and do more. Nadella further emphasised that having empathy is not enough. It is extremely important for people to use their voices to bring the change that they want in this world.
“Today on US Google & YouTube homepages we share our support for racial equality in solidarity with the Black community and in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery & others who don’t have a voice. For those feeling grief, anger, sadness & fear, you are not alone,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
Pichai’s statements were further criticised by the viewers saying that it is hypocritical if they mention such statements and still have racist companies in their ad networks.
Lawmarkers and Law enforcers
The most important part of the battle is the constant ongoing battle with the lawmakers and the law enforcers.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi reported that it is important that the Indian-American community stands in solidarity with the affected Black community in US. It is necessary that we condemn all acts of racism and violence beyond just a few words. And it is necessary to keep our voices strong, even if the act of brutality and hate has been conducted by a white police, which was the case of George Floyd.
New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal further urged the Indian-American community to use their voices and further build links to the local police department, all the while keeping themselves safe during the testing times of Covid-19.
“It could happen to an Indian-American. Remember 9/11? After which Indian-Americans were targeted,” said Gopal.
The best form of empathy is by voicing out your concerns and demanding a change either via peaceful protests or via the social media platforms.
Gopal further took to Facebook to share his views saying that he has witnessed people from the Black community in America come around, fighting for their justice. He emphasised that Floyd’s death was point blank, a murder that was conducted by the people who are assigned to protect the society.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal took to Twitter to share some of the steps that have been taken and enforced by his department to avoid a repeat of what happened with George Floyd. The main out of them is the independent grand jury investigation that has to be conducted in case a civilian dies in the police custody.
