Silke Jasso
Actor George Clooney has decided to speak up, stating that COVID-19 isn’t the greatest pandemic that has occurred in the United States. Clooney noted that our greatest pandemic is racism. In response to the Nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd caused by Minneapolis police officers, Clooney wrote an essay that was published by The Daily Beast. The 59-year-old actor wrote, “how many times have we seen people of color killed by police?” He continued,
Videos by Rare
“Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, Laquan McDonald. There is little doubt that George Floyd was murdered. We watched as he took his last breath at the hands of four police officers. Now we see another defiant reaction to the systemic cruel treatment of a portion of our citizens like we saw in 1968, 1992, and 2014.”
The Hollywood actor noted the public does not know when the protest will subside, but he hopes and prays that no one else will be killed, stating we, as a country, “know that very little will change.” Clooney wrote that the frustration and anger are evident in protests across the nation and are a reminder of how little we have grown as a country from the original “sin of slavery.” He continued “The fact that we aren’t actually buying and selling other human beings anymore is not a badge of honor. We need systemic change in our law enforcement and in our criminal justice system.”
Stating race is our pandemic, he believes this situation affects us all, and in 400 years we as Americans have yet to find a vaccine. He also noted there was only one way this country could bring lasting change, which is to vote.
“So this week, as we’re wondering what it’s going to take to fix these seemingly insurmountable problems, just remember we created these issues so we can fix them. And there is only one way in this country to bring lasting change: Vote.”
You can read the full essay by the Daily Beast here.
George Clooney Says Anti-Black Racism Is 'Our Pandemic': 'We've Yet to Find a Vaccine' https://t.co/6qBUOcP8ip
— People (@people) June 1, 2020
