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Third Prize: Yao Ruyi

As a Chinese and an incoming international student, why does social justice in the United States matter to you?

Social justice derives from equality of rights for all peoples without discrimination, regardless of race, nationality, or belief; based on equality of rights, people and groups can be characterized, understood, and respect. Fundamental principles underlying this definition include values of inclusion, collaboration, cooperation, equal access, and equal opportunity. When we talk about social justice, we usually focus on a country where its unique aspects of social justice take form and raise concerns in modern times. However, in recent years, the explicit commitment to social justice has seriously deteriorated. The expression of social justice has practically disappeared from the international lexicon and disappeared from most countries' official language. But social justice in the United States matters to international students like me from both macro and micro perspectives.

From a macro perspective, there are still inequalities in income, race, class, and opportunity within and between countries. For international students, the absence of justice often represents increased physical and emotional suffering and the corresponding health risks. Socioeconomic in-equality cultivates social injustices, including poverty, homelessness, racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, refugee status, and historical trauma that inordinately affect minority and marginalized groups and communities, especially the vulnerable international students. These inequalities have contributed undermining people's sense of accomplishment and self-worth. For example, language barriers and a lack of knowledge about hiring processes can cause international students to be overlooked by many organizations or companies. To promote social justice is to ensure that international students will not be disturbed by such incidents and live a dignified life.

In recent years, Chinese and Asian international students have been facing more social justice issues than ever. For example, during COVID-19, they will be humiliated by the "Chinese virus," which severely affects their mental health. In order to complete a college degree, international students may need more support and educational resources than their peers do. Thus they should not be discriminated against during this period. Because the effort and resources required between an international student and an average student to achieve a common goal can vary widely, it is significant to offer international students proportional resources and treat them equally.

The core of social justice is to build a society that serves everyone, giving each of us the precioius opportunity to create the life we want for ourselves and our family, no matter who we are, where we come from, and whom we love. This is the goal that all of us fundamentally pursue and make us fundamentally human. The development of these ideas has also seen their enshrinement in official statements and guidelines, spearheaded by the United Nations’ (1948) Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The social justice challenges for the future of life on earth is arguably the greatest civic challenge facing younger generations. Social justice means that Asians, Whites, and Black, and everyone in the world are respected and protected and have equal opportunities. This doesn’t guarantee that society will be perfect, people will always be happy, or society will always be fair. However, social justice is important to everyone because it gives people a cause to fight for the life they want.

Reference:

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chrome-extension://ikhdkkncnoglghljlkmcimlnlhkeamad/pdf-viewer/web/viewer.html?file=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fesa%2Fsocdev%2Fdocuments%2Fifsd%2FSocialJustice.pdf

chrome-extension://ikhdkkncnoglghljlkmcimlnlhkeamad/pdf-viewer/web/viewer.html?file=https%3A%2F%2Fcareer.fsu.edu%2Fsites%2Fg%2Ffiles%2Fupcbnu746%2Ffiles%2Ffiles%2Ftech-center%2Fncda-presentations%2F2013%2F201307_5-1SocialJusticeForInternationalStudents_PPT.pdf

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Third Prize: Dai Wenxiang

My Views on Racism in America

With efforts from Martin Luther King's “I have a dream” speech, the emancipation of slavery, and Obama’s election as the first African American president, we may find that racial discrimination in America seems to be constantly improving. Many people from around the world and even within America agree with the argument that America is a free and equal country. Nevertheless，the death of George Freud, an African-American man, altered my previous view of the absence of racial discrimination in America. Freud's last cry that “I can't breathe” before he passed stings everyone's heart in pursuit of racial equality. In fact, from "I have a dream" to "I can't breathe", the problem of racial discrimination in the United States has not improved much at all, which I didn't realize before. To this day, it is still very difficult for people of African descent to defend their rights and interests, despite Martin Luther King’s fight for the freedom of black people. Although there have been numerous protests and struggles in the United States for hundreds of years, it still can't eradicate the discrimination among American people. Former American President African American Obama is the representative of improving the status of African American people, but it can't stop the status quo either. The contributions made by various African-American human rights leaders do not mean that racial discrimination no longer exists in American society.

People with power, privilege and moral consciousness must stand up and say "no" to the police and judicial system with racial discrimination, to the immoral economic inequality between whites and blacks, and to the government actions that undermine our unity and democracy. Recently, the black Freud was shot by a white policeman for no reason, which deeply proves the existence of social unrest. In the whole process, the expression and body language of the white policeman showed that he was enjoying killing African Americans. Discrimination against African Americans, Asian Americans and ethnic minorities still exists in American society. In addition, under the condition that Freud had been handcuffed and pressed to the ground without any intention to resist, the white policeman knelt on Freud's neck for a long time. No matter how the victim cried out and struggled, and no matter how passers-by dissuaded him from telling, the policeman was indifferent and did not change his actions even after the victim completely lost consciousness. In fact many blacks are discriminated against by whites. For example, on February 23, 2020, a 25-year-old African American man in Georgia was jogging when he was suspected by a white father and son to be a thief, which led to his being shot at close range. Another influential event was that an African American man kindly reminded the woman walking her dog here to tie the dog leash in New York Central Park, and the white woman was angered and called the police. All the above examples make me feel the existence of racial discrimination in America and the urgent need to improve it.

On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has a great impact on African Americans. The infection rate and mortality rate of COVID-19 pneumonia among African Americans are much higher than those of other ethnic groups, which makes life more and more difficult for many African Americans, especially in psychology and physiology. The reason why African Americans are more severely impacted is closely related to their overall social and economic status. The average wealth of African American families is 1/12 of that of white families. The socio-economic situation of unstable work, low income and no savings of families make African Americans lack the ability to resist risks. This also reflects the unfair phenomenon in American society, especially for blacks.

To sum up, this year is an unstable year, and more and more people have been killed by the epidemic. When we pay attention to the data of people who lost their lives due to the epidemic, we should not forget to pay attention to those who died due to racial discrimination. In fact, racial discrimination does not only exist in American society. The unfair and violent self-defense of different nationalities against race deserves our reflection. We should find out the root causes and solutions of racism from the growing contradictions, not at the expense of other people's lives.

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Third Prize: Mao Qinyu

What would you say to the All Lives Matter movement supporters?

George Floyd Social Justice Writing Competition

Dear,

My name is Rainy Mao, a prospective student of a U.S. university. I

am writing to the supporters of the All lives Matter movement. Our

world has become more chaotic because of racism. George Floyd, a

black man, was abused by the white policemen till death, and police

violence is not rare in the U.S. In this case, not only one black life has

lost, but a family has gone. Sorrow comes in me like an influx of huge

waves. I am sympathetic because I encountered racism when I was

small, and that experience haunts me. My two years in Miami, Florida

leave me with wonderful memories but also a significant

understanding of racism. Some people ignored my existence, imitated

my accent and, pushed me as if I was an object. I remained silent and

tolerant, like “what an Asian was supposed to be.” Therefore, it

touches and impresses me when people initiate a movement to stand

with George Floyd, to stress the severity of this common issue of

racism, and to seek solutions. Racism has shown the moral decay of

societies, and justice needs to be restored.

Supporters of All Lives Matter are pioneers. Whoever you are,

supporting online or offline, black or white, you are courageous

pioneers. You take the social responsibility to achieve equal rights for

all people and lead the protests. On social media, you raise awareness

of racism and repost information of the movement. Offline, you go on

different protests.I particularly admire Gilary, a women leader of this

movement who is humble but bold. She fights racism, creates space for

black Muslim women in Canada, and helps then speak up. She is a

lighthouse that leads people to the right path and she will make justice

possible step by step. I want to thank her and so many others like her

for their courage and passion. You all are bold enough to break the

conventions and speak for minorities, and you have lightened up

people’s lives and make them feel that they are not alone.

However, I do want to clarify the aims of this movement since some

protests strayed from their original goals. Black Lives Matter or All

lives Matter is all about equal rights, meaning that everyone is treated

equally before the law. No one will judge or treat you differently

because of your race. However, something during the movements has

astonished me. First, in Washington DC, protesters rushed into a

restaurant and forced a white girl to hold a fist and shout with them.

This girl claimed afterward that this frightened her, and even as a

supporter of Black Lives Matter, she was unwilling to be forced to

protest. Second, people are misleading each other, and some protests

have gone too far. In June, in order to ease people’s anger, some white

policemen got together and washed black people’s feet. Some suggest

that these actions will unit people. But, to my mind, these people make

the white policemen feel surrendered since washing feet means

obedience. This is not equal rights. It is just like the misconception of

feminism. They want people to have the same treatment instead of

one’s life over another. Washing feet, screaming on the street, and

holding fists do ease people’s anger, but these actions show that

people are lack of considerations, and some are too prone to making

chaos. Instead, we should put the time to find solutions or the root of

racism. By doing so, our vision of “equal rights” will be realized

faster.

Last but not the least, I encourage all the supporters of the All Lives

Matters to do a few more things. First, it is important to self-educate

ourselves about racial and gender issues as well as other cultures.

Stereotypes exist because of the deep history backgrounds. We should

pay attention to social and historical issues and differentiate the bias

of each.

Second, it is important to listen to the experiences and feelings of the

people who need help. Even though it could be hard to feel the same,

we should still give them the chance to share their thoughts. Being a

listener can make them feel warm. Sharing their ideas via articles and

social media helps the larger public to know and understand their

situation.

Third, we need to recognize our privileges and use them for the

purpose of helping others. Being privileged means that we have the

benefits that others do not because of our skin color, nationality,

religion, or gender. For instance, my friend Kathrine, a white young

woman, clearly knows that a policeman will not stop her on the street

because of the privileges of her skin color. But she stands out with her

dark-skin friends and gets through racism together.

The world can change us in a flash, but it is arduous to change the

world. Let us make the world a better place bit by bit, starting from

you and me.

Sincerely,

Rainy Mao

October 6t h , 2020

Work Cited

“Equal-Rights Definitions.” YourDictionary,

www.yourdictionary.com/equal-rights.

“Masked White Nationalists March in Washington with Police Escort.”

Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 9 Feb. 2020,

www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-protests-idUSKBN20301H.

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Third Prize: Li Yuyao

Prompt 1: Did George Floyd’s death change your viewpoint on systemic racism in the United States? If so, explain how and why it changed.

I had once naively thought that the issue of racial discrimination in the United States had been alleviated since the end of American Civil War and through the influence of generations, but the recent death of George Floyd completely undermined this misconception. On May 25th, 2020, an 46-year-old African American named George Floyd was killed by a white police officer. Before his death, he begged "I can't breathe," repeatedly and even passers-by had intervened, but all of them were ignored. When the incident was reported, there was a great deal of public anger and protest. As a result, anti-racism protests prevailed the entire country. After researching about this incidence and the following public responses, I think the death of George Floyd actually reflects the  social contradictions of racial discrimination in the United States.

If the man under the white policeman's knee had been a white man, the police’s treatment would not have been so serious. Black people and white people are two different races. One common sense in everyone’s mind that have been reluctantly acknowledged since the Civil War and even far more time ago, with whites being dominant and blacks slightly weaker. In the eyes of anti-racism, the powerful white man kneeled the weak black man on the ground and kneeled him down for seven minutes before he died. From the minority point of view, the gesture was a racist massacre.

The cause to many law enforcement issues against African Americans is not the abolishment of slavery in the United States, however the legacy of slavery continues to have a profound impact on the social status of African Americans. The civil rights movement abolished discrimination against the black community in public places and employment, but implicit racial discrimination remains as a deep-rooted cancer in the American society. The occurrences of protesters and demands for the disbanding of police departments in the wake of racist violence against Black Americans signifies that the problem of racism in the United States has not been fundamentally addressed.

I’ve never thought of the problem of racial discrimination in America is so serious before. I visited an university in America before and everyone was treating people of different ethnicity in the same way. Therefore, I thought that the issue of injustice due to racial discrimination had faded away. People with higher education background will hardly look down on someone only because of their skin colour. However, for those that aren’t rich enough to afford a quality education, it could be difficult for them to re-evaluate their prejudice. Furthermore, a white child can easily be affected if one of their family members told him or her that white people are naturally more noble than other racial classes. Even if the children won’t directly express these words, the thoughts in their minds will always exist. The death of George Floyd changed my opinion about the racial discrimination problem and let me better understand it.

The police brutality against black people is always just a manifestation of racial violence or even hate crime. Behind these violent incidences lies a series of inequality problems of black people in the American society, from economic development to the access to education. These problems have befallen this country since its founding. They are complex and intractable, and cannot be simply eradicated by voting rights. The problem of racial discrimination can never be totally solved as long as the people keep these outdated and prejudicial thoughts in mind. I believe only a deeper transformation of American thought, by all human beings with different skin colour communities, can grant this problem a chance of being resolved.

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Third Prize: Zhu Yutian

The existence of "All Lives Matter" is intended to eliminate and mitigate effects of "Black Lives Matter," and the meaning is so detached from the present era and context that it is a valid piece of crap. But in the end, the pure fact of that all lives matter is right. It raises awareness of basic human rights, which is what BLM is all about, but BLM is more specifically and in keeping with the current background and social situation, which in todays society, black people are suffering from injustice brought about by racists.

“ALM” acknowledges, to some extent, the persecution of people of color, saying it as if existing inequities and forms of racism had disappeared. On the surface, the rights that "All lives matter" advocate for is  inclusive of pleas made by "Black lives matter." Some people say ALM, but if you can't even get BLM realized, how can you say ALM? For "All lives matter", you must first achieve "Black lives matter”.(“How to Respond to Someone When They Say ‘All Lives Matter.’” Msn.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2020.)

As for the supporters of the ALM movement, I strongly oppose to their efforts to diminish the impact of BLM citing the repeated occurrences of police brutality. It is worth noting that BLM is a global organization created after George Zimmerman was acquitted just a year after Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, was shot dead in 2012. But clearly, our society is too far away from attaining complete justice. In the past decade, A young African American man was shot by a white police officer in 2014. And now to George Freud who died in the police violence under the law. In the end, none of these policemen were rightly punished. Can we turn a blind eye at black people who just been killed by the police or is there really get racial discrimination in it?

Some might argue that the crime rate of black people is high, so it is normal for the police to be cautious. According to the Washington Post, white Americans make up 62% of the population, but only 49% of those killed by police. （“How to Respond to Someone When They Say ‘All Lives Matter.’” Msn.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2020.）Is it prudent that blacks, who make up only 13% of America's population, account for 24% of all deaths due to police brutality? Systematic and institutional faults are to blame. 

Black people make up 13 percent of the population of the United States. Under the oppression of American capitalism, what are their daily necessities mainly came from? Is it McDonald's, full of lights and comfortable air conditioning for 24 hours a day? No, not every black man can walk into a fancy office building in an elegant suit. Only a very small percentage of black people can have that kind of life. So Dollar General is their choice.

According to the stereotype of many people, the health of many black people is concerning because their “cultural” diet is inherently unhealthy. But in fact, the oppression of capitalism is the reason why many black people are unhealthy. Dollar general uses its unique marketing strategy. Therefore, the poorer the region, the shorter the life expectancy, the higher the abnormal rate of obesity, the worse the social conditions and the poorer the social resources. As a result, many problems are caused by institutions and institutional problems, rather than the choices of the poor themselves. Of course, many other people talk about the affirmative action movement to argue that the social conditions for black communities have improved. They say that blacks have received a lot of government benefits to make them more competitive in the same class, and they will be given "priority" in hiring, enrollment, and business competition. For example, they can go to a college with lower SAT scores. But due to the absence of social resources and excellent educational resources, many African American students can not afford to spend a lot of time on Sat. The lack of access to higher education may mean that they spend their entire lives at the bottom of society, unable to find a job, and even unable to maintain their health under the oppression of store like Dollar General. The resources of society are getting scarcer and scarcer, and what awaits them, in the end, what is waiting for them maybe is the worse life. In this series of oppression, finally made the choice of the last resort - crime, although also very bad, but the real cause of this cause, is the unfair distribution of social resources, which has resulted in the existing system problems of class solidification. And this is what needs to be solved to finally reach BLM.

The stereotype that black people leave to many people and the misconceptions brought about by the civil rights movement make people ignored injustice and oppression from capitalism they are getting. So, if you support "All Lives Matter," the first thing you should do is getting "Black Lives Matter” realized.

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Third Prize: Zhao Nan

 Prompt 2: As a Chinese and an incoming international student, why does social justice in the United States matter to you? 

The news about George Floyd has raised the issue of social justice under the media spotlight. I already watched the controversial video on social media even before the news broke out in China. As I watched the video, anger instantaneously took over my mind. While I know racial discrimination exists, witnessing such injustice play out over and over again still saddens me deeply every time I watch the news. What was unexpected about the news of George Floyd was the unprecedented international public attention brought about by such tragic incident As I browse through the heated discussions about George Floyd online, I realize that, this time around, there might actually be a change on the rise, as more people have become aware of social justice and equality. 

At school, I have likewise heard conversations regarding the said news. As an incoming international student, social justice is of great significance to me, not only because that the United States is potentially where I will be going for college, but also because of its larger social implication? 

Currently, social justice remains a huge unresolved problem. I have already came to know several tragedies caused by racial discrimination and stereotyping, most of which are not really far from my own experiences. The most recent prominent example is Covid-19. The pandemic has hurled unreasonable complaints against the Chinese. For quite a few times, I have heard from my friends who are currently studying abroad that they are being discriminated against by the locals. The United States, regarded the “number one” country, has sufficient power and influence to lead. As the US has begun heeding notice on social justice, I can definitely see more countries worldwide see more people around the world speaking out against racial inequality in the future. In this day and age, racial discrimination against the Chinese is heightened due to the ongoing trade war and the pandemic. International students, including myself, are going to confront this problem until the day when racism no longer exists. The existing condemnations and denunciations against the demise of George Floyd has given me hope that such day will come. 

Personally, I believe that a stereotype is not merely an opinion; rather, it is rooted deep inside a culture and in history. Regardless of how firmly we disagree with it, fight against it, or ignore it, there is no way we are unaffected. Indeed, we live under certain stereotypes, as we are all victims of it. 

Apart from concerns over safety and equal opportunity, another dilemma amongst incoming international students is self-identity – that is, the way we perceive ourselves. Initially unnoticed, our identity has since changed. We have gradually adapted to the English language, learn the American accent, and use international social media platforms. Everything that we have attached ourselves to has to become familiar. 

Consequently, we are drifting further and further away from home and culture without knowing our specific destination. However, we jump back to our roots at times. Every time we are with our family or walk on the local streets, we feel at home again. In a way, we are stuck in between two cultures, one that we have long loved and another that grasps our future. 

The society’s opinion is what we rely on when judging ourselves; in fact, its view is of massive influence especially at times when we are still questioning our self-identity. While living in a place where people around us are instilling stereotypes against us, are we supposed to behave like how others perceive us? Should we feel angry or helpless? We wish to be accepted by the society, and the first step to this need is equality. True justice is what we rely on for us to distinguish between truths and lies. This is not only applicable amongst international students; this applies to every person who has suffered from racism or other forms of discrimination. 

True enough, social justice not only applies to race, and that the underlying problem remains far from being resolved. The demise of George Floyd resembles a shotgun, as it indicates the beginning of the fight for social justice in this era. 

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Third Prize: Lin Yubing

The tragedy indeed changed my view on racism in the US The many discussions this event stirred up exposed to me many neglected facts and hidden opinions on and of racism in the American society.

My understanding of racism in the US first formed in my US History class. From the class I learned that the racial conflicts in history were mainly caused by slavery, and, since slavery has been abolished for hundreds of years, I had thought that racism was only a serious problem in the past.

Furthermore, from social media like Twitter I had formed the impression that what I usually see about Americans’ popular attitude on racial issues are the supports for minorities, which enhances my idea that racism had been a problem; but it is no longer. 

However, the fact that a black American was killed on the street by a white policeman without doing anything that wrong completely broke my precious cognition. It turns out that racism is not a out-dated concept only in the book, but also the malice that exists all the time.

It is not the incident truly changed my perception so much, as it’s that I didn’t really understand the racism in US until it. The history books and social media just contribute to my imagination about it before. Slavery is extremely cruel, but because it’s so cruel and so far away from the current social system, it’s difficult for me to really emphasize with the victims. As for the social media, the information that is widely disseminated is indeed mostly positive for being “politically correct”. But after the incident, I realized that the racism which is not declared is still extensive, and real Black people gets hurt.

At the same time, through people’s discussion about the protests held by the black people for the tragedy, I realized that the concept of race really prevent many Americans from seeing what they should have seen. My literature teacher, a white American, said to us in class that he did support the blacks to fight for their rights, but they should do it “correctly”. It seems reasonable, but Trevor Noah, a mixed-race African born in South Africa, referring from Malcolm T. Gladwell’s idea of society contract, points out that both the executives and citizens need to abide by the contract. Racism, however, is that the executives broke the contract first. Under the situation, it’s impossible to ask the citizens to continue following the restrictions of the contract. Some protests broke laws, but the laws had been systemically compromised long ago. If people are worried about their property being lost due to protests, they should at least call on the executives to stop such atrocities while asking the blacks whose rights have already been damaged to “keep civilized”.

As much as I respect my literature teacher, who is indeed knowledgeable and logical, he spoke from a pre-set position that is already unjust. When I felt it logical to attribute the consequences of the tragedy to the racism of executives rather than to the qualities of black people, lots of Americans, like my literature teacher, denies that. They are well-educated. They are “critical thinkers” and the “elites”. But they ignore the sequence of events while only look at the consequence but not the cause. They ignore the severity of events while valuing the loss of property rather than an absurd passage of life. What they see and what they don’t see, related to some idea that rooted in the culture for centuries — this is racism.

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Third Prize: Li Cheng

Since Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, there have already been 160 years passed. As education spread and racial awareness promoted, I had thought that racial discrimination in America had already become an issue exaggerated for the sake of political grandstanding. However, unexpectedly, unsolved conflicts have lurked under the shadows brought up by economic progression, waiting to be detonated — George Floyd’s death, as the fuse, exposed them.

The tragic event calls upon me to face racial discrimination and to evaluate critically whether political correctness has failed and how it has contributed to the current circumstances.

Political correctness refers to the measures that avoid using particular terms that might offend and discriminate against disadvantaged groups in a society. It not only includes the correctness of words using but also involves with standpoints, opinions, and behavior. Since, according to linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf, language sways mind, practicing political correctness within a certain range is considered as an effective way to awaken unconscious prejudice of the public and thereby to protect disadvantaged groups. Nevertheless, political correctness can become abused, and thus it may backfire.

As the current events have shown, neither did the practice of political correctness prevent George Floyd’s tragic death, nor did it help enhancing racial awareness. Instead, after years of seemingly remarkable social progress, the society has become more divided, if not less, and it is no less difficult than before to have different groups discuss their standpoints rationally and calmly. This is exactly when the past practice of political correctness has backfired. With critical reevaluation, it is reasonable to suggest that such is the inevitable result of the past practice of political correctness: it is a moral decree telling people what to do but nothing about why to do it. When a popular moral orientation on a certain issue is held up so high that it becomes unquestionable due to the current political climate, the possibility of having rational discussions will drastically reduce. On one hand, an increasing number of people, who refuse to rethink their stance and lean on the fanatic side, are involved. Soon, their voices will occupy the mainstream as a result of their superiority in number and their extremity. On the other hand, all the remarks that counter the mainstream will be marginalized and even assailed, even though they are probably reasonable and honest. In other words, once a wide-spread problem gains enough attention, a certain moral orientation decreed by political correctness will be formed. Accordingly, divergent views are less visible, afraid of getting attacked by the public. In this case, barriers are built among groups, and there is less possibility of turning the situation around. If people do not discuss openly, prejudices and stereotypes will stay always unchallenged.

The past practice of political correctness hinders rational communication, yet it is exactly communication that is the most effective way to eliminate racial discrimination. Communication encourages understanding, and understanding encourages peace. For instance, to solve the enmity remained after the Rwandan Genocide, sociologists composed plays using the cultural elements shared by the Hutu people and Tutsi people  and staged the plays to both. Years later, statistics proved that such a kind of communication had eased the enmity between them. 

When political correctness is abused, such communication is made impossible, since people are encouraged to take side before understanding those on the opposite side. On the surface, the society seems peaceful. But looked in depth, the undercurrents of discrimination have never dialed down. Therefore, any measure that do not reevaluate the past practice of political correctness is likely to be superficial, unable to touch upon the roots of current events, for instance, the looting that is more a craze than a riot.

In the Black Lives Matter campaign, one overlooked group who in fact suffered severely is Asians, especially Asian small business owners. Since the riots are tolerated to a certain extent, many injured Asian groups could not secure their properties or even themselves if they spoke up for themselves. A Korean model named Nicky Park tweeted on the behalf of Asians, pointing out that many innocent Asians’ properties have been looted. Most of the comments are vicious attacks, which are enough to show how distorted political correctness has become.

In “The New Science”, Giambattista Vico said that history always dedicates people’s passion to unknown goals. So, where will the chaos propelled by distorted political correctness in Today’s American society go?

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Third Prize: Wang Chan

Prompt : Did George Floyd’s death change your viewpoint on systemic racism in the United States? If so, explain how and why it changed.

I originally valued the democratic rights , the freedom in humanities and the model of

equality in the United States deeply, but with series of riots and violence happening globally , I

started to have second doubts——George Floyd’s death is a wake up call to me. On May 25,

2020, George Floyd, a well-behaved black American civilian, was being stepped on the neck

by a white police officer and was killed for the sake of the overlook of his own words and his

health. He died just because he was doubted for using fake money . This striking incident shed

some light on the long existed racial discrimination and polarization between different social

classes. It makes me realized that there’s some hypocrisy buried deep inside of the values and

law enforcement system of the United States and it still has a long way to go in order to

achieve certain degree of equality among people , based on the research I did on the history of

endeavors for slave patrols and protests. I found that replacing goods and trademarks

suspected of discriminating against blacks is just a cavity of a well-planned show and this kind

of superficiality only follows the consistent coping strategies for the previous ethnic conflicts

and riots, but can not fundamentally eliminate racial discrimination, hostility and violence.

The inequity was long held in the United States. In this country, the employees of the white

congressmen, cleaners, deliverymen and room attendants are mostly black. White

congressmen, both democratic and Republican, who occupy the vast majority of seats in the

U.S. Congress, are enjoying the benefits of the black’s low wage labor. Meanwhile, they are the

one who make rules and revise the amendments for the law of equality.

Furthermore, the violence against black lives has long existed in the history. White people tell

black people what will happen if they resist by means of public flogging, lynching and police

violence. For example, in 1955, a black teenager named Emmett Tiel, who was beaten to death

by the white police for speeding. In combination of the George Floyd incident , black people

are constantly telling the world about the racial gap in the country but the situation did not

change drastically. I believe that such violence stems from the fear of black skin and the

violence is originated from the fundamental factor of "white temperament”.Police corruption

and violence – particularly against vulnerable people – were commonplace during the early

1900s. Additionally, the few African Americans who joined police forces were often assigned to

black neighborhoods and faced discrimination on the job. In my opinion, these factors –

controlling disorder, lack of adequate police training, lack of nonwhite officers and slave patrol

origins – are among the forerunners of modern-day police brutality against African Americans.

George Floyd’s incident highlights the deeply rooted injustice and discrimination and this

kind of injustice appears even in the current protests. The police massacre of black people is

still happening during the black lives matter protests. The fact that the methods of dealing with

the violence caused by racial discrimination is to use violence again to shut people up is the

irony for the call of peace and freedom. No matter how many bronze statues and portraits of

racial discrimination are demolished and removed, and no matter how many people mourned

for George Floyd, as long as the government's actions is just to put on a show , these

endeavors will not help. If we do not act seriously in politics and justice, we will not be able to

change the great difference in racial status between white and black people.

[stooogessh]

Third Prize: Xin Jiawei (Gavin)

              What is the justice? Modern political philosophers argue that  the principles of justice that define our rights should not rest on any particular conception of virtue, or of the best way to live.However, to most people, justice is about individual. Each person has right to choose how they want to live. Of course, justice is time-bound. Ordinary people in China today do not feel or discuss whether the society under The First Emperor of Qin is fair or not. We cannot always recall the bitter days in the past and compare with some progress in today’s society to prove that is relatively fair. Today, the common people feel that social injustice means reality. We should not complicate the history of simple issues of social justice. In addition, they common people’s sense of social injustice is established through an accumulation of specific, small events. Their sense of social injustice originates from their really life, not from books.But in the course of their education, they can come to understand what justice is in their mind. So, today I want to talk about education justice in America.

          The education justice is the government make sure everyone has freedom to approach the education. This means that the government will pay for their education to a certain extent, regardless of their family circumstances or some other reason. In terms of compulsory education, both China and the United States have done very well. The nine-year compulsory education system is implemented in China at the present stage, which is effective for all school-age children and juveniles. In the United States, there is a 13-year compulsory education. So in this respect, it is a manifestation of educational justice.

          A serious problem with education is that many rich people can buy excellent educational resources with their money instead of competing fairly to obtain these precious excellent educational resources. For example, whether in the United States or China, if you want to study in a good school, you must have a school district housing, that is, a house near the school, but generally speaking, the price of these houses will be very high, so those who can afford to buy are rich. Then, in this case, people cannot enter good schools with fair test scores, but those who can buy a house in the school district can enter good schools and enjoy the only excellent educational resources. In the recent period of time there is a true story about the rich money into Yale university, a university student to William Singh called Guo Sherry behind the operator (enrollment) paid $one million two hundred thousand into Yale university, one of the biggest amount of money into the key global fund (which is also founded Mr Singh). This is actually a very unfair case, because Yale University, as one of the top universities in the world, can be bribed by rich people to get in. In fact, many students with good grades are difficult to get in, and even she will exclude some students who were originally on the list in this way. This approach can be said to be very unfair. Another example of racial and national inequity in education is the recent decision by the U.S. state of California to reduce the admission of Asians, a decision that has kept many top Asian students from studying in the United States. In my understanding, educational fairness should take no account of students' social class, race and nationality.

Education equity is not only an important factor affecting social equity and justice, but also an important factor affecting the credibility of the government, as well as the people's sense of gain and social stability. Education is not only one of the cornerstones of social equity, but also one of the most important factors affecting people's sense of fairness. Education equity is the starting point of life equity, education is the most effective means to promote the socialization of people, is the main way to achieve personal development. Receiving fair and quality education can significantly improve people's living conditions. It is the most effective means to narrow, eliminate or even surpass the congenital gap of everyone, and the "greatest tool and most effective channel" to achieve social equity. So I think education justice is important for me when I am in America. 

[stooogessh]

Third Prize: Yu Mutian

It has been 155 years since the very last earsplitting racket of the armory, which signified the end of the American Civil War and slavery. Once regarded as a privilege, Liberty has been granted to all groups on the land since then. Though the African Americans were freed from the instruments of torture, systemic racism continued to haunt Black communities.

The famous civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. once stated that the emancipation of slavery "was freedom without bread to eat, without land to cultivate." Indeed, the minority endured unfair treatment that hinders the individuals from accessing greater social capitals; laws that violated human rights failed to protect African Americans' interests. But these factors that caused social biases had already become history. Laws, such as the "Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act," legalized equal and fair access to education, employment, housing, among other basic human rights. Awareness of racial equity meanwhile increases, as communities and workplaces are more inclusive. Observing the positive trend, I once believed that systemic racism is only a matter of time; with all-encompassing cultural beliefs, human races will ultimately ignore the gap between ethnicities.

However, the recent death of George Floyd reminded me that my belief was a fanciful one; beneath the seemingly collapsing segregation between the minority and the majority is rigid, structural racism. Four police officers charged with the maintenance of domestic order brutally treated a man who committed a venial crime; they witnessed the anguish of the miserable soul apathetically. Racism is no longer the deprivation of specific human rights. The four officers expressed an utter contempt for life. According to a 2014 report by Equal Justice Initiative, young African Americans are 21 times more likely to be shot by law enforcers in the United States, and they are less favored by the judicial system. The events related to George Floyd's death exposed that racism had already corrupted different branches of the government; George Floyd was yet another victim of the discriminated system. The legacy of white supremacy has permeated through the nation's economic and political structure, racism cannot be solved by individuals’ changing their beliefs. 

In retrospect, the immense impact of white supremacy formed the essence of structural racism. White supremacy is commonly exhibited interpersonally between members of the two ethnicities, coupled by cultural stigma. Denigration of the disadvantaged culture's inherent values will eventually be accepted by the members of the race. By excluding members who still embrace the original values, other members internalize the racism. Purposely accepting the dominating culture while indeliberately excluding their intrinsic values, minority groups are forced to assimilate,  thereby losing their voice to protect their rights. One more demonstration of racism is access to resources and capital, through employment and housing, for example. Although laws are actively promoting equity, a general trend that favors the major still exists. Specifically, African Americans' average income is considerably lower than the major ethnicity in the US according to US Census Bureau; a Harvard research team furthermore stated that the gap is even greater when people with criminal records are compared. Meanwhile, residential segregation, a crucial indicator of ethnical exclusion, still exists on a substantial scale. If the individuals’ discriminating belief is abandoned, stigma of minor ethnicities will no longer exist; thus, internalized racism can be resolved. Yet, racism related to social-economic rights, which composes a more significant proportion of structural racism, requires a hard-to-achieve radical revolution to vanish.

People criticized the four police officers for their destruction of humanity: they regarded them as criminals and racists. But rarely do they consider the police officers as an epitome of the American society, one that is dreadfully in need of revolution but writhes from the inability to transform.

[stooogessh]

Third Prize: Xue Wenhan

There are many different ways to protest. While we are fighting, we should pay attention to our own mental health and fight with the way that we are most comfortable with. 

The killing of George Floyd not only has had a huge impact on the U.S. society, it had shaken the world as well. He has been unjustly killed by three police officers during arrest in Minneapolis. In the video showing how he was forced to lie on the ground face down, handcuffed and strangled by the police, he kept on saying “sorry” and “I miss my mama.” The images shown in that video was indeed very disturbing and heartbreaking, and it immediately went viral on the internet, many people were furious about the police brutality. This acted as a trigger for the later riots and protests. 

Many of my classmates, since the day that this incident was reported on the news, have been actively protesting. One of the most common ways is to share information of how to safely protest and articles on racial equality on Instagram. Our school had a surprisingly vague attitude towards the death of George Floyd, however. Many students and faculties of color are very angry and disappointed about this. Therefore, they organized a protest in our school, which they asked students of color to change their Zoom IDs to names of African American victims who died of unjust police brutality and turn off the camera during class. As an international student, I also received this invitation to protest. I have been sharing anti-racist posts on Instagram like others do, but I was hesitant whether I should join this protest. I think the protestors were expecting all students of color to participate to show the school our disappointment. On one hand, I was also depressed about the fact that our school did not treat George Floyd’s death seriously. On the other hand, I have never been part of a protest, and I was not sure how everything works. And I believe that all my teachers that teach me in school are definitely anti-racist, and I don’t feel comfortable joining in the protest which would potentially disrupt their classes. However, I was afraid that because I was being too radical, I would be viewed as racist or indifferent by my peers. 

This protest against racial inequality and police brutality started from late May, and that was  during the same time COVID was raging globally as well. I must admit that those two things are unusually stressful enough on top of my bleak quarantine life. Since the beginning of the protest, I have always been thinking about  why the protest was joined by not only African Americans, but people of all races. Do all the protestors know—from the bottom of their heart—what they themselves are expecting, trying to achieve, or gaining from these protests? Are there any protestors like me that have hesitated or wondered? My question was answered when I read the words of Glennon Doyle from her  New York Time bestseller (Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed): “It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear, than fitting in, than following the crowd.” The important thing is to understand the ultimate goal that I want to achieve, it doesn't matter whether I achieve it in a way that is practiced by most people. It is about my own faiths. 

All roads lead to Rome, and I believe all protests against injustice could lead to change. When authors are writing, some write proses and some write poems, but they could be conveying similar ideas. Likewise, there are many ways to protest, and it is important to choose the way one feel most comfortable to do so. There would not be any protests if there were no protestors, and only those with firm and clear beliefs made the protests successful. As an international student of color who might encounter racism and social injustice in my future days studying in the U.S., I sincerely hope African American people can see justice done, and I hope to maintain a more enriched inner self and a more composed state of mind if I am unjustly viewed or treated. 

[stooogessh]

Third Prize: Xie Zhifei

George Floyd Social Justice Writing Competition

Zhifei Xie

On May 25, 2002, the Minneapolis police officers arrested 46-years-old African

American man George Floyd for using counterfeit bills. During the arrest, one of the four

officers, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd was

handcuffed. Floyd constantly called out for help during the grievous eight minutes and he even

called for his mother to express his fear of death. But Chauvin insisted to be indifferent and

apathetic. After several minutes, Floyd lay motionless on the ground and found no paluse when

checked. Yet Chauvin refused to remove his knee from Floyd’s neck even after Floyd had lost

his consciousness.

When I saw the headline that reported Floyd’s death, I was shocked, baffled, and

annoyed. How could a human being treat another person like that? How could he just ignore all

the callings for help? How could he dare to terminate a life without even blinking his eyes?

While I was furious about Floyd’s death, I waited for justice. Yet the response from the

Minneapolis Police Department showed no guilt for killing a living person.

Then on June 2, people used blackouttuesday hashtag to memorize George Floyd on

social medias. Chauvin was charged with second degree murder and the Black Lives Matter

protests peaked on June 6 to ask for justice and equality for African American community. Until

this point, everything was moving towards a direction with light and hope. Yet, debates on All

Lives Matter vs. Black Lives Matter once again put racial problems in the spotlight. Many

people on Instagram judged posts relating to All Lives Matter for being racist, while many All

Lives Matter supporters blamed Black Lives Matter for not being inclusive.

As an Asian girl with “yellow” skin tone, I didn’t find any fault with the claim that All

Lives Matter. To me, no matter what skin tone people have, what ethnicities they are, what

identities they possess, they are all human beings - they are essentially all the same. It is an

undoubtable truth that everyone’s lives matter and that everyone in the world deserves respect,

equality, rights, and justice. In my perspective, the reason that such slogan of All Lives Matter is

being criticized is that it is not specific enough to convey the message that black communities are

especially in need for social justice and equality at this very moment.

But after four months of effort, did the situation for the black communities become better

with the protest? Did the Black Live Matter slogan work better than the All Lives Matter slogan

to promote social justice and raise awareness in different communities? Did the movement

successfully prevent tragedy from happening again in the future? These are just some questions

that I ponder after Floyd died for four months. In some ways, my answers to these questions are

yes. I saw everyone around me responding and facing social issues caused by racial differences. I

saw many institutions, including my own high school, promoting diversity and inclusion

programs on campuses. I saw more and more adolescents read and post social justice relevant

articles on social media. But what is next? Can this movement forever eliminate similar injustice

to happen again?

Black Lives Matter movement in some ways did reach periodic success in raising

awareness over racial equality; however I believe that the ultimate goal of Black Lives Matter

George Floyd Social Justice Writing Competition

Zhifei Xie

movement and other similar movements is to let All Lives Matter. Because all lives matter is

unlimited and inclusive. We are truly equal when we do not categorize people with skin tones

like black, white, yellow, ect.. We are truly equal when we do not differentiate people with race.

We are truly equal when we do not classify people with their identities. At that time, we would

no longer see the differences between us, but we are able to see the similarities between us and

respect all others based on the notion that we are all the same.

[stooogessh]

Third Prize: Lu Yifan (Kris)

On the 25th of May this year, an African American citizen named George Floyd was killed during an arrest by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since then, protests against police brutality and unjust treatment towards African Americans erupted. In this milestone event, people started to question what equal rights are and raise attention to systematic discrimination.

But firstly, why can American police kill people when no obvious signs of danger are shown? One of the reasons might be that police force is financially supported by taxpayers in the States. This means that a large portion of police force is working for the rich, of which the majority is obviously white people. The police are with the whites, “protecting” them from the “dangerous black.” With a police system working for class stabilization in the first place, America’s public security also evolved into a system enhancing racial discrimination. 

At the same time, the States has a federal system, with no governing authority that manages the police force uniformly. Therefore, the police have a lot of freedom to do what they think is “necessary”, including forced detentions with obvious bias towards certain ethnicities while endangering citizens. Last year alone, the US police killed more than 1000 people in the process of law enforcement. Even if the police are prosecuted, there is also a police union as a backup to help hire lawyers and arrange new jobs.

On the other hand, however, the public seems to have a strong sense of “political correctness”. For example, the rule in chess where “white” takes the first move has upset some people, claiming white supremacy. A producer of ABC network thought that this is “a serious case of racism” and invited a group of stakeholders to discuss why under the rules of the game, white always takes the lead. However, such statements do not really lead to anywhere helpful in particular. Whilst the focus on this matter might be a good topic of discussion, it deviates from the source of the problem, which is an historic background of abuse towards minorities and their immunity against these acts as mentioned earlier, along with many other problems such as incentives and institution transparency. If people could focus more on the development of education and economy in ethnic communities as well as in the general population rather than chess rules, I do believe Floyd would not have to get involved in drug trafficking in the first place and police would not have used systemic racist brutality on him.

As a Chinese person myself, this made me think that systemic racism in the United Stated is not only based on black people but minorities instead. Recent examples can be seen in the attitude towards Asian people when Covid-19 started or in the sparkling debate over minorities in a videogame called The Last of Us 2, which explicitly and courageously showcases LGBT and Asian minorities. The BLM movement, resulting from Floyd’s death, caught the attention of world. However, people need to realize that discrimination is a complicated issue and that many other problems are to be settled as well. 

Discrimination is everywhere and has existed long before Floyd’s death. The attention it has drawn could be a good starting point to raise awareness on the roots of the problem, starting with police officers. It is in our hands to promote and enhance education on systematic problems like racism and possibly lead to a change.

[stooogessh]

Second Prize: Sun Yichen

It has been about four months since the tragedy of May 25. For four months, the uproar in the United States was beyond my ability as a Chinese student to empathize. But that doesn't prevent me from looking at it from my own point of view. Since the beginning of time, the issue of black discrimination has been exposed to the public in a bloody way once again. The civil rights movement of black people has been transformed from "Black Lives matter" to "all Lives Matter". The vigorous march has made people see more confused but firm eyes. When we calm down and think about it carefully, do we really know what we are holding on to and protecting?

Some people may ask: Don't you want to support the black affirmative action movement?

No, of course I support it, because it's about the whole "human" movement. But when we support a movement, it is also important to understand the causes of the conflict and the ultimate message of the movement, because only a clear goal can ensure that we do not make detours. Discrimination against blacks began with the triangular trade carried out by the earliest European colonists. This status gap between "servant" and "master" directly leads to people's discrimination against blacks. However, when the society develops and people realize the importance of "human rights" and "freedom", most people choose to become a more noble person and abandon the discrimination based on the characteristics that cannot be chosen by people themselves, including "skin color". Some even choose to be extreme in their support of racial discrimination in order to atone for the crimes committed by their ancestors in the past。

But when we think soberly, is it really equal rights to offer more privileges to those who discriminate against people? In the years since the affirmative action movement began, why has discrimination persisted even as the black elite emerged? This is one of the problems revealed in the green Book: the gap between elite blacks and ordinary blacks. It is true that these elite blacks are not necessarily of great origin or of good fortune, but there is no doubt that they have been selected and nurtured. As far as I know, every year in the United States, black people are given a limited number of opportunities to attend higher education. This seems to make up for the injustice of black people's education in the past and give the black group the opportunity to "get ahead". However, it is obvious that these educated black people will change from now on, but they will also break away from the whole black social circle. It was hard for him to empathize, to put himself in the position of securing for the whole black community the power and status that belong to them.

In addition, the solidification of social class is also a big problem. This concept of class is not necessarily defined by "power" and "wealth", but can also represent a part of the overall structure of society. Communication across classes and even making friends is extremely rare in the whole social environment. It is hard to admit, but we should understand that the more stable and stable a society is, the harder it is to break down the entrenched classes. It is easy to explain that society and even the state were built to ease the irreconcilable contradictions between classes, which in many cases have not been eliminated, but continue to exist in a way that everyone defaults and ultimately accepts. A more mature and stable social system, with better ways of hiding such class conflicts, such as laws and electoral systems. Therefore, it is difficult for the common people to cross the class to become a leader. However, it cannot be denied that the city, the contract that exists in reality, allows everyone to get a relatively stable and harmonious living environment. When the class divide disappears, there is only one possibility: that there will be plenty of material goods, a sign of low productivity. This is unrealistic and undesirable in today's world. Therefore, the affirmative action we undertake should give enough care and fair treatment to the disadvantaged without damaging the social system, instead of giving meaningless and endless privileges to black people.

[stooogessh]

Second Prize: Pan Yanwenxin

While Social justice, the idea that everyone deserves fair treatment and equal opportunities within a society, appears to be an distant concept that has been addressed over and over by politicians and NGO leaders, social injustice issues have concerned every ordinary individual. Social justice is not exclusive to a specific part of the world or a specific group of people, but an advocacy in every country and culture that all humanity shall pay attention to. As a Chinese student studying in the United States, I believe social justice in the United States will not only help creating a more diverse and equal community for us, but also open our eyes to examine a variety of social problems.   

To begin with, I would like to discuss an issue that is central to the interest of most Chinese students: college admissions. Renowned for their diligence and hard work at school, Asian students believed that their efforts and ability shown by grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities will guarantee an acceptance letter from schools. However, discrimination in admissions process has shattered their envisioned brighter future of studying at their dream schools with passion and pride. There has been a hot debate over racial quota in the admission process. This is a black box of college admission that raises the bar for many Asian-American students, and many of them are rejected because of racial discrimination. Some prestigious American universities, led by Harvard, give the reason that many Asian students perform poorly in extracurricular activities, while surveys conducted by opponents show no clear link between extracurricular achievement and race. At many schools, Asian students need to have SAT scores at least 140 points higher than those of other races to be eligible, and even then, they might get rejected for spurious reasons. This case shows a serious problem in social justice because clearly an equal opportunity for Asian students is not guaranteed. Supporting social justice is to respect and protect the rights belong to people. Therefore, it is natural that those who suffer from such unfairness will fight against social injustice for their own rights. Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard is the first step and it is just the beginning for the Asian community to work towards equity to remove systemic barriers in higher education.    

 On the other hand, however, there are countless cases of social injustice that might not have a direct connection with our lives. Whether or not certain groups of people will support a social justice movement that has nothing to do with them raises an important question: Why should everyone in the society supports and pay attention to social justice problems? This can be explained from two aspects. First, enforcing social justice to a great extent, can maintain the peace and prosperity of our society while social injustice will cause serious social unrest and consequential negative influence. For example, disparity in the distribution of wealth and low social mobility in a society is a major issue in social justice. Despite the fact that the rich might benefit from such system, there is also a risk stemmed from the injustice that resentment and increasing crime rate will emerge as a threat to the society as a whole. Therefore, social justice is actually an important part of maintaining social stability. From a different perspective, there are a variety of vulnerable groups, who are all victims of social injustice, call for a change for their own problems. Racial discrimination, sexism, poverty, and Ableism, the list can go on and on. It is important to recognize a fact that even privileged groups could be marginalized. For example, a white male from middle class will also get old one day and have some form of disability. Everyone will experience being a member of the disadvantaged group, so doing our best when we are able to help others will make others empathize and take action when we need help. The society we live in is dynamic and each individual is connected. Put aside altruism and values, when we are helping others and support them in social justice moment, we are helping ourselves at the same time. 

To draw a conclusion, social justice matters to all of us because it is not just an empty idea but a cause for everyone to find solutions to the real problems in the society. Social justice in the United States for an international student is more than a series of complex social issues for outsiders to observe but a universal concern that we should reflect on and take action to make a change. 

[stooogessh]

Second Prize: Jiao Boxuan (Victor)

The tragic murder of George Floyd has shocked the American society from top to bottom. Protesters marched onto the streets for days and weeks calling for social justice and police reform, while local law enforcement officers and even the National Guard often used violent force, such as tear gas and rubber bullets, in an attempt to disperse the protests and maintain order. Just like the standoff on the streets, there is also a standoff between the ideas, and apparently it has gone bipartisan, especially in this election year. While activists and even sports players chanted “Black Lives Matter” and used various means of demonstrations, on the other side, the slogan “All Lives Matter” emerged as a response against those demonstrations, mostly from conservative people who apparently have a problem with the movements. What I would say to the All Lives Matter movement supporters, however, is that they should engage in a proper dialogue with a positive attitude, instead of trying to always respond negatively to the protests.

Before making judgments on whether “All Lives Matter” is the right thing to say, however, it is important to comprehend what the word “matter” means. All lives do matter––without context, that is a perfect thing to say. Every life, from a newborn to an old man on a deathbed, has mattered, because they, more or less, exerted an influence and contributed to a change to a certain thing. Everyone should be proud that they have mattered. On the other hand, the “matter” in “Black Lives Matter” means something different. There have been so many incidents where innocent black people have their lives taken by others, and the protesters try to fight against the intentional, targeted attacks. Here, “matter” means that black people should feel safe walking on the streets, and enjoy equal opportunities––their lives have a weight and importance that is unacceptable and immoral to be deprived with a gunshot. The different meanings conveyed in the word “matter” makes the “All Lives Matter” an improper response to the movements. Improper dialogue would only escalate the tensions between different views, and ultimately, nobody would learn anything from each other. 

Another interesting issue that All Lives Matter supporters tend to mention is the negative facet of the innocent black people killed, as a way to counter Black Lives Matter. In many circumstances, even if it is apparent that the black victim is innocent, All Lives Matter supporters would usually dig out something that could prove that the victim was guilty, regardless of the source. From criminal history to death threats made, they attempt to show the public that they are standing on the right side and supporting Black Lives Matter is supporting threats and criminals. This is just another example of improper dialogue. All Lives Matter supporters use anything to prove they are right, when, in some circumstances, they are simply wrong. In legal exercises, even if a person murdered was one that had assault and murder in his/her criminal history, it could not prove that he/she would be guilty in the incident. Trying their best to demonstrate the wrongfulness of the victim would only make them appear as ignorant, who would refuse to sit down and carefully look at the issues present in front of their eyes. In fact, it was the exact “cancel culture” that most of the All Lives Matter supporters hated––using one’s bad history in the past to create unnecessary humiliation in public. The presence of “cancel culture” would never contribute to a fruitful conversation. 

In a time where social justice issues and political divides were at a climax, what I wanted to tell the All Lives Matter––and in fact, also the Black Lives Matter––supporters that they should sit down and talk through the issues objectively, without any personal opinion influences. If there are things done wrong, change it. Ignorance is useless; instead of criticizing each other on social media and clashing during protests, everyone should contribute to address problems, as it is a collective effort.