#aacw

It’s, like, an... Animal Crrossing version, I guess?

On July 18, 1998, the Spirit of Freedom sculpture was built in Washington D.C honouring the African American soldiers who fought in the Civil War (Wheeler). This tall nine foot bronze statue displays 3 black soldiers and a sailor that was created by sculptor, Ed Hamilton. The great contributions of African American soldiers and sailors were well known by the end of the war as they were awarded 36 Medals of Honor (Wheeler). The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President of the United States given to the nation’s bravest men who perform above and beyond the call of duty (Funk & Wagnalls). The 208 000 veterans are inscribed on the metal plates (Wheeler). To further honour the African American veterans, Washington D.C also held a reenactors parade, a symposium on the history of the troops and a national park exhibit called the “Quest for Freedom” (Washington Post). All of these efforts to recognize the African American veterans totalled up to 2.4 million dollars (History).

In spite of honouring the African American veterans as heroes and their sacrifices for the country, Americans today continue to racially discriminate against black citizens as a dangerous threat. Recently, police brutality has been a rising issue in America. These “law enforcers” have been specifically targeting black citizens based on their own personal opinions about the race as a whole. Because of racial bias within the police force, innocent lives have been taken. Adding on, justice remains unserved due to the entitled authority of police officers. Also, white privilege has been a controversial factor in these unfair rulings.

In one of the most well-known cases involving racial injustice, Trayvon Martin, 17, was murdered by a police officer, George Zimmerman on February 26th, 2012 (Alvarez).  Zimmerman was freed of second degree murder in state court on February 17th 2013 and all charges were dropped (BBC).  George Zimmerman claimed the unarmed black teenager in a hoodie was a threat to the community resulting in gun fire. This was a first of many cases of police brutality involving black American citizens that continues today.