The Black Lives Matter movement has started to make an impact not only in the way people view racism, but how it shed a light on the many systems that need overdue reforms to fix it. The fight for racial equality is far from over, but there have been some real changes made as a direct result of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement. Here are some of the changes that have happened so far (from Business Insider and dosomething.org).
Police Reform
- Cities across the nation are working towards cutting or redirecting police funding including New York, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Portland, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Seattle, and San Francisco.
- 31 out of 100 of the largest cities have based laws restricting chokeholds.
- Breonna’s Law has been passed in Louisville, Kentucky banning the kind of “no-knock” search warrant that led to her death.
- New York State legislature repealed section 50-a of a civil rights law, a former law that obscured police disciplinary records from the public.
Racist Statues
- The Pentagon enacted policy banning the confederate flag from military bases around the world, and the Senate passed a provision to rename military bases named after Confederate officers.
- Several monuments honoring enslavers, and Confederate leaders have been removed in states like Virginia, Kentucky, and in Bristol, Britain.
Education
- School districts are adopting racial equity policies to desegregate schools, closing racial gaps among students, and reform the way they teach and discipline students, hire and train staff. School districts include Milwaukee, Indianapolis, San Diego, and Philadelphia.
- Schools and colleges are ending their contracts with local police departments and working to phase police presence out of their campuses and focus on mental health and social work staff. Includes districts in Seattle, Oakland, Denver, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee.
- School administrators in cities like Denver and Spokane are updating curricula to include more diverse authors, subjects, and histories as well as anti-racist teachings.
Entertainment, Pop Culture, and Corporations
- Several shows have pulled episodes that feature blackface from streaming services, including 30 Rock, The Office, and Scrubs. The show Cops has been canceled.
- Major sports leagues are supporting their athletes in protesting equality instead of punishing them. The NFL has apologized, and The Washington Football team is changing their previous racist name and mascot.
- Big food corporations like PepsiCo, Mars, Inc., Edy’s, and B&G Foods are rebranding their products like Uncle Ben’s, Aunt Jemimah, Eskimo pies, and Cream of Wheat.
Categories: Editorials, Opinion
