Systemic discrimination, racism, and inequality have garnered renewed and intense attention following the George Floyd murder and demonstrations of Black Lives Matter (BLM) around the world. In sharing our anger and sorrow, we reached out to several colleagues and scholars in the Black community. We wanted to provide a forum [1] for them to express their grief, share their experiences and help us move forward. The response to our invitation to write was overwhelming, but also heartbreaking. Our colleagues were devastated and broken. They expressed immense difficulty in writing because of anger, despair, and sadness. Stella Nkomo (personal correspondence) asked if "the burst of recognition of systemic racism for real this time?" It is our hope that their collective voices, captured in this collection of essays, will help us find a way forward as academics, researchers, and mentors. We need to refocus our efforts to combat anti-Black racism, dismantle systemic discrimination, restore racial justice, and enable Blacks and other racially oppressed groups to fully participate in society and life.Given the overwhelming response, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal (EDI) will publish two issues comprising viewpoints and essays that offer constructive perspectives and reflections to engage readers on the deeper issues of White supremacy and systemic racism. The collection includes personal accounts of racist experiences, observations on the relics of colonialism and slavery, an acknowledgment and frank discussions on White supremacy, and critical recommendations for moving us forward. They include what police departments, White Allies, academics and sports coaches, librarians, mentors, CEOs and corporate leaders, organizations and businesses, and universities could do and need to do. These essays extend the conversation from the original special issue on BLM edited by Thomas Kecia and Leslie Ashburn-Nardo in 2017 in this journal.
What is different this time?The BLM movement (see Ashburn-Nardo et al., 2017 for a brief history) has taken off in unexpected and significant ways since the death of George Floyd. First, the reenergized BLM demonstrations across the country are said to be, collectively, the largest in US history. Estimates vary, but commentators report that between 15 and 26 million Americans took to the streets over the past months (cf. NY Times, 2020). George Floyd became a symbol and rallying cry which prompted similar demonstrations against anti-Black racism around the world. Second, unlike past civil rights demonstrations, an overwhelming majority of protestors are non-Blacks, suggesting broad public support for social justice for Blacks. BLM supporters and White Allies cite anger, unfair treatment, and tensions between police and Blacks as the key behind their protests. Many Americans have reported that, as a result of Guest editorial