Dear Editor,

On Tuesday, April 20, 21 the world watched in anticipation of the outcome of the verdict of the trial concerning the murder of George Floyd. The verdict was delivered and the world (or people who supported the Black Lives Matter movement, thankfully) breathed a sigh of relief.

It was one of the most interesting trials because it was set to define the course of black history and its struggles, especially within the United States of America.

One thing is certain, however; the outcome does not signal the end of race relations in that country, and the struggles will continue for some time.

US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, after the verdict, stated that things will have to change quickly in terms of race relations. My guess is that they will turn to the Senate to convince its members to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in a timely manner. However, in my opinion, they should not hastily make that decision, because there are so many other issues besides racial profiling that exist within the police force that have to be settled once and for all.

Therefore, it would be imperative that the US Government take this dilemma as an opportunity to fix the racial and, by extension, social divide. I think the time has come for the institutions of the US Government to reform the US Civil Rights Act of 1964; they can repeal and replace it by amending other provisions. For instance, the Act which was passed in 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, or national origin. It could be extended to include provisions for racial profiling within other institutions, not only the law enforcement and other related agencies, but others such as immigration and ones that deal with social issues such as housing, health, water, and education.

Moreover, although the Act captured the main essence of the older issues at that time because it was designed to end the Jim Crow laws which were upheld by the case of Plessy v Ferguson in 1896, it should be amended to reflect more contemporary issues facing the nation today.

Daniel Morgan

dmorgan239@gmail.com