Jackie Beckley believes the video of the final moments of George Floyd’s life may finally help white friends and colleagues understand what she has labored to tell them about her experience as a black woman: the uneasy feeling that rose when her son was late checking in, her hesitation to take a job transfer “down South,” even her anger at disparate treatment by store clerks. …
Many black Americans have similar frustrations and a similar optimism, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll of black Americans that was conducted as large demonstrations still rocked American cities.
While a majority of Americans across all racial groups report feeling sad, angry and troubled by Floyd’s killing, black people perceive the country’s police forces as far more racially biased than white people do, the poll finds. … But black people also largely believe Floyd’s death could be a catalyst for change, in part because people of all colors have participated in protests in hundreds of cities and towns and demanded movement from political leaders, actions several survey respondents cited in follow-up interviews. CONT.
Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Scott Clement & Emily Guskin, Washington Post
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