Racial, Ethnic & Religious Equality Policy Center | Jewish Social Policy Action Network

"...The central problem the Black Lives Matter movement addresses is systemic and structural racism. There is little question that America has made some progress in decreasing what we might call interpersonal racism. But there remain many ways in which American institutions and policies systematically discriminate against Black men and women.

This is true in many areas of life and especially in the still limited economic opportunities open to Blacks. But the most important one in the current public debate involves the criminal justice system. There is little question that Black men and women are today subject to being harmed and killed by police officers at rates that far exceed those of whites.

And that is why, though all lives certainly matter equally, there is good reason for us to focus on the ways in which Black lives do not, but should, matter in our criminal justice system...."

Excerpted from the complete piece by Marc Steir

Racial, Ethnic & Religious Equality Policy Center | Jewish Social Policy Action Network