Our country seems to be on the verge of another race-related change, similar to what it saw in the 1960s. With the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and scores of other unarmed POC (People of Color), protests are breaking out all over the country AND all over the world.

Many people who scoffed at the early, silent protests are now taking a closer look at the issue.

It started with simple, peaceful, non-violent protests by the likes of Colin Kaepernick and Devin McCourty and Martellus Bennett, professional football players who used their national stage to bring police brutality to top-of-mind. It appears that, while the protests did awareness of the issue, their actions also infuriated the people who saw their protest as "anti-American".

Even though America came to be because of protesting (remember the British wanting to tax the colonies? It was the protests by the Colonists that became the impetus behind which our great country was created), people still believed that the silent protests were anti-American.

In the years since Kaepernick's first silent protest, more unarmed POC were killed at the hands of police, some even shot in the back. In several of these cases, the charges were either dropped against the officers or minimal reprimands/punishments were given. POC, and those who are able to empathize with them, became more enraged.

Now that there are global protests against racism and police brutality, a conversation has been sparked. Many people who didn't understand the silent protests ("Why is he disrespecting the flag?" was the mantra) are now realizing that the silent, solemn protest (they wasn't shouting, didn't turn their back, weren't being vulgar, etc; they simply took a knee during the National Anthem) was their way of letting the world know that all are not yet "equal" under our flag, and the statistics back it up.

For many non-POC, the recent demonstrations and protests have prompted them to take time for introspection. We are learning about the history of some of the statues in our cities. We are learning about why there is still such a divide between the races. We are learning about how "the other side of the tracks" came to be. We are learning about the money being made by our current incarceration system, and how blacks were targeted for arrest right after Emancipation.

A Google Docs page was assembled to supply links to books, articles, podcasts, and videos for people who are wanting more information about how and why People of Color are still not treated equally.

10 Anti-Racism Resources, Including Resources for Parents

Take time to browse through the resources listed here, and then share them with your friends and family, especially the ones who can not see that there is a race problem in our country.

It's time for these words to apply evenly to mankind:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 

READ MORE: 50 resources to help you educate your kids at home

 

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