Black people aren’t sitting back and waiting. They have been fighting for centuries. However, it’s an uphill battle for them because the system is biased against them and they are in the minority. For example, it’s only recently — since video evidence has become readily available — that a significant proportion of white people are willing to consider the idea that Black people suffer a disproportionate amount of police brutality. This is true even though police brutality against Black people has been going on for centuries. But now that progressive white people are getting on board, laws are being passed to address the problem.

All civil rights gains in the past — from abolition of slavery to today’s struggles — have been made by Black people and progressive white people working together to overcome the forces of white supremacy. The current struggles are no different.

Many other reforms in human society are motivated by a combination of shame over current conditions and hope for something better. The current struggles are no different.