Raymond V. Mariano: Much good is coming out of this tragedy

Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)

There is nothing good about the death of George Floyd. Watching Floyd beg for his life, gasp for air and call for his mother while a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck created a sinister image that has been etched into the public consciousness.

But, while his murder was a disgrace to our nation, there is much good that is happening because of our reaction to it. Today, there is a prairie fire of change that is spreading across the country increasing in intensity and determined to spread to every corner of the land. And George Floyd's death was the spark that ignited the blaze.

Some of these changes are small or symbolic, while others are more substantive -- some even exciting. But this is hardly the end of it. The fire rages on. The next few months will be exciting, frustrating and exhausting.

Symbolic changes

Vile symbols of racism are now starting to be erased from public spaces.

Confederate flags as numerous as bugs on a rotting log throughout the south are being removed from military cemeteries, city halls, state houses and NASCAR events.

Predominately in the south, there are streets, schools, and buildings all named in honor of men who fought to secede from our nation. No other country allows its people to pay tribute to men who should be considered traitors.

In Richmond, Virginia, protesters tore down the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. More importantly, local, state and federal leaders are either calling for, actively considering or removing statues and monuments of Confederate leaders.

And military leaders are being joined by a growing bipartisan group of federal elected officials calling for the renaming of military facilities and ships that were named in honor of Confederate leaders and battles. Try and imagine how you would feel as a black man or woman in uniform serving at a military facility named after a man who fought a war to keep you in chains.

President Trump has said that he will never agree to change the names. Perhaps a more enlightened president will change that in January.

Corporate world changes

As a result of racist behavior or language, some corporate leaders are being forced out. Additionally, television, print and online publications are jettisoning leaders who have shown an unwillingness to feature non-white talent or have displayed racial disparities in their work.

An increasing number of advertisers are dropping programs with a racial bias like Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

Major grocery products are discarding names that were based on racial stereotypes.

The country's largest corporations have committed more than a billion dollars to assist minority owned businesses and support social justice causes.

And thousands of companies are rushing to diversity trainers for guidance and strategic advice.

Police department changes

At all levels of government, decisions are being made that will change the way police conduct themselves and how they are managed.

Cities and states across the country are passing laws that prohibit no-knock warrants and banning choke holds making their use a felony. They are passing laws that make it easier to fire police for misconduct, instituting civilian review boards, examining the elimination of qualified immunity, and requiring the public release of information relative to misconduct.

Cities like Los Angeles, New York City and Boston are among the communities diverting a portion of funds targeted for police departments to other community resources.

Even in Worcester, hardly a bastion of progressive action, the City Council is slowly considering changes that could impact police policies and increase public confidence.

The biggest change

But perhaps the biggest change of all has come from people who have not lived a life in dark skin. Out of the millions of people around the world who have taken to the streets to protest racism, a significant number of them have been white -- and tens of millions watching at home joined them in spirit. Unlike the civil rights protests of the 1960's where the vast majority of protesters were black, today, many white faces are visible among the crowds.

After a lifetime of disgraceful events, today polls show that 76% of Americans, people of every color, see systemic racism as a problem -- and they are demanding action.

And while the spark that lite the flame involved the police, the fuel that has fed the fire also includes inequities in health care, education, housing and employment. As the fire of change rages on all of these need to be addressed.

In Savannah, Georgia, there is a statue known as the "African American Family Monument." The figures were formed in a dark, almost black bronze: a mother, father, and two small children. The family had shackles and chains lying at their feet to indicate their status as former slaves.

Engraved on the base is a poem written by Maya Angelou.

"We were stolen, sold and bought together from the African continent. We got on the slave ships together. We lay back to belly in the holds of the slave ships in each others excrement and urine together, sometimes died together, and our lifeless bodies thrown overboard together. Today we are standing up together, with faith and even some joy."

There is nothing good about the death of George Floyd. But, standing up together, it may be that much good will come from it and that should be a source of great pride for his family and for our nation.

Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano@telegram.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram.

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