‘Bless His Memory, Don’t Taint It’
By Dov Guggenheim, 2019–2020 CAMERA on Campus Fellow
In the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd, ample debate has dominated the public square in the United States, as well as around the world. The horrific crime has brought an age-old question to the forefront: Have we achieved racial equality as a society? If not, how can we?
These are obviously some loaded questions. Myriad books and essays have been written on the subject, tears have fallen, and blood has been shed in order for changes to be made. As such, these questions must be given the proper amount of attention and respect when pondering them.
No matter where one lies on the political spectrum, we can all agree that there are issues that must be dealt with when it comes to racism and police brutality. The full scope is very hard to measure, but many believe that major policy steps must be taken in order to remedy the situation — policies ranging from incremental (such as more funding for education on these matters at both scholastic and professional levels) to paradigmatic changes and more. The entire range of proposed remedies is well beyond the scope of this article.
These issues are serious and can ultimately cost human lives. They are far too important to be used for personal gain. Yet many individuals and groups have been accused of “hitching a ride” on these protests in order to further their own agenda. There are many examples, some as harmless as shameless “Instagram influencers.” Others, however, are more harmful, like a new collaborative petition circulating through the University of California system signed by hundreds of campus organizations that aims to further its political agenda of endorsing the BDS movement against Israel under the guise of anti-black discrimination.
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