When the horrible news of George Floyd’s final nine minutes spread across the world, outrage ensued. Floyd’s death was another black life taken by the unnecessary brutal force used by US police officers. There have been peaceful protests, violence and property damage, artistic expression and online activism as various responses to his death. I believe there are a few reasons as for why Floyd’s death has impacted many people across the world. First, the video of Floyd’s death was very emotional for many to watch. Bystanders pleading for his life and begging the officer to stop, but to no avail. By the end of the video, we all have just watched someone get murdered by the very person in blue who is supposed to be protecting us. Seeing that video, for many, was most likely the breaking point. Everyone around the world could understand that there was a need for change. Another reason, is that many people around the world can relate to what happened to George Floyd. Although, they themselves may or may not have direct experience of being a victim of police brutality, they can at least empathize and imagine if it were their family members who have gone through what Floyd did. All of those people want change. They want the mistreatment of black people to finally end.

In the podcast, a black man from Amsterdam, Don Ceder shared his experience as a lawyer for the city council. He told a story of when he had an old white man as a client and as they walked in the courtroom together the judge began speaking to only the white man. After about two minutes, Ceder interrupted and told the judge that he was in fact the lawyer. Ceder believes that the Judge didn’t have any malicious intent but it does show how deep the issues are. The prejudice and stereotypes are engrained in some people so deeply that they don’t even realize their own biases. Ceder describes Amsterdam as having less police violence than the U.S. but having more institutionalized racism. The protests going on in the U.S. and in Amsterdam, puts the government in a position where they have to listen to what the people are saying to finally make a change. Because of the protests, the prime minister acknowledged that there is systematic racism in the Netherlands and that it needs to be fixed. What I admired about Ceder’s experience was that him and his colleagues really pushed the government to listen to the people and to give them what they wanted. Influential people like him who are using their voices and connections to bring about change is what really makes an impact.

In France, a 24-year-old black man by the name of Adama Traoré died in police custody in a Paris suburb in 2016. Because of the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S., it has reignited the calls for justice in all the people of France. In early June this year, led by Assa Traoré, the half-sister of Adama, assembled at least 20,000 protestors in front of a Paris courthouse and then a crowd of 15,000 11 days after that on the Place de la République. Because of the protests in the U.S., it has helped bring light on the racial issues not only in France, but all over the world.