Lizabeth Dijkstra lives in New York. She is originally from Hitzum, but has been living in ‘the Big Apple’ for four years. She obtained her PhD in philosophy on the subject of human moral responsibility in relation to artificial intelligence. She closely follows the protests in her city and the rest of the country and talks a lot with friends about how they can do something against racism in the country.
Lizabeth does not experience much of the protests themselves. There aren’t many around Brooklyn where she lives. But they are huge and according to her, it will not stop anytime soon. “Every day there are tens of thousands of people who take to the streets here and there is no end in sight,” she says. The scale of the protests is historic, she says. Reforms will have to change it, and if they don’t, violence will ensue, she expects.
Big problem
Racism is a big problem in America, she says. The coronavirus, for example, has caused many more victims among the non-white population. Economically, black Americans also have a much harder time and they have fewer opportunities. The statistics indicate that black and black Americans are in prison a lot more. They also have much less access to healthcare.
The unequal treatment is on the surface. According to her, there are parallels with Europe. According to her, it is clear that we need to take a critical look at ourselves on this subject. According to her, it is not about direct discrimination, but about patterns in society. People are being disadvantaged through no fault of their own.
–
