Dear John,

This week, a decision was reached in former police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd. As the jury read their decision—guilty on all counts—many around the country, and even the world, breathed a sigh of relief. 

And yet—we cannot look at this ruling and see justice. This is accountability. Justice would be if George Floyd were still alive today. Justice would be an end to the constant terrorizing and murder of Black Americans at the hands of the police tasked with protecting us. 

Systemic racism in policing stems far beyond one ‘bad apple.’ It's essential that we recognize and address the broader climate of racism and anti-Blackness in America in which police departments function—and that is exactly what we explore this week on the Ms. podcast, On The Issues with Michele Goodwin. Dr. Goodwin asked each of her guests to grapple with one critical question: Who Killed George Floyd? In this episode, Black Minnesotans share stories of their everyday brushes with racism and break down why the idea of “Minnesota nice” is just a myth. 

We also launched the first two articles in a special three-part series on MsMagazine.com, in which Dr. Goodwin looks at police violence as symptomatic of broader social and cultural injustice, racism and anti-Blackness. I encourage you to engage with this series and episode of the podcast—and I urge you to stay engaged, and to ask yourself every single day: How can I keep fighting for justice?

It’s clear that we need changes in the justice system. And there is an obvious next step: passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The bill was approved by the Democratic-led House last month, but has yet to receive a vote in the Senate—and likely will not receive a vote unless we end the filibuster. 

Ending the filibuster—which currently allows a small minority of Senate Republicans to prevent a vote on legislation that reflects the will of the majority of Americans—would mean that we could pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as well as the Equal Rights Amendment, federal legislation for voting rights, raise the minimum wage, deal with climate change, pass commonsense gun laws, reduce violence against women, and increase access to reproductive rights and justice. Will we truly continue to allow a minority in the Senate to hold up the progress we’ve fought decades for? 

To end this week, I’d like to share some good news: On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general. Gupta will be the first woman of color to hold this title, and has long been an advocate for equality and police reform. (Get to know her better on this episode of On The Issues with Michele Goodwin from last November!) Her confirmation is a true victory for equal rights—and thanks in large part to the ongoing advocacy of feminists like you. 

For equality,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor