A MEASURE OF JUSTICE

AMANDA FERGUSON in Belfast

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

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My thoughts are with George Floyd’s family.

Vice President Kamala Harris was right that the verdict is a measure of justice.

This is what accountability looks like.

The US is healing after a hugely divisive presidency with Trump and like everyone else is dealing with the impact of Covid, and all the inequalities it has further exposed.

We have to learn from this personal trauma for the Floyd family.

I remember back to the first few months of lockdown in 2020, when George Floyd was murdered and Black Lives Matter demonstrations began.

I recall battling on air to reflect the legitimacy of public protest in the midst of a pandemic and lockdown.

While I wouldn’t have attended a mass protest at the time I understood why they were happening.

I am not a Black woman but I am a journalist and a person who believes in equality.

I understand context and nuance and listening to people when they tell you their experience.

And it was clear that Black communities all over the world were saying ‘covid may be killing us but racism is also killing us’.

It is clear you don’t wait to be given rights.

You demand them, take them, and be part of creating a more fair, just society.

What I tried to reflect at the time was the response to George Floyd’s death was “a global moment”, and the verdict yesterday will be felt around the world.

It is not enough that one man in one case has been jailed.

There has to be an overhaul of the system.

Everyone has to a duty to be part of the change.

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