The on-camera killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer has ignited protests against police brutality across the United States and in cities around the world. Last weekend, hundreds took to the streets of Tokyo to protest the violent arrest of a Kurdish man and a reported 2,000 marched in Osaka to support the larger Black Lives Matter movement.
Demonstrators want justice for the deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a black woman in Louisville, Kentucky, who was killed when Louisville police forced their way into her home and shot her. However, the victims of police brutality in the United States number in the thousands and many are taking this opportunity to decry institutional racism in American systems of criminal justice, housing and health care, pushing not only for a retraining of police, but also a radical rethinking of the role they play in American society.
America’s unrest will shape its upcoming presidential election, and while living in Japan can create a feeling of distance from American issues, the issues at the center of global protests are human ones that deserve our understanding. So with self-quarantine precautions still in place here, and events such as Fuji Rock and the Olympics postponed till next year, this could turn out to be the summer of knowledge — a perfect time to educate yourself on the history of racism in America and the wider world, from its causes to the structures that perpetuate it. This list of films, albums and books is, like many lists like it, a starting point.