The deaths of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers in Missouri, Ohio, New York and other places around the U.S. have become the latest tipping point in a long history of racial tension.
Protests, marches, die-ins and sit-ins have swept the nation — most recently resulting in over 300 arrests in New York City over a non-indictment in the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old confronted by NYPD officers for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. Social media exploded with rallying cries like #DontShoot, #ICantBreathe and #BlackLivesMatter, the latter of which points out what already should have been obvious.
It’s become painfully clear that America is not the post-racial society we’d love to believe it is, or that some insist it’s become. In light of that, it’s worth taking a look at how 21st century society is, in many ways, still shaped by racial inequality. Below, we’ve rounded up just a few of the many thoughtful and informative writings on the subject. Some provide a historical perspective while some feature original personal anecdotes. Others are just trying to make sense of tragic events. All are worth the read.
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