Black Lives Matter—for Social Justice, and for America’s Global Role
Human rights abuses at home undermine U.S. global leadership.
By experts and staff
- Published
By
- Stewart M. PatrickJames H. Binger Senior Fellow in Global Governance and Director of the International Institutions and Global Governance Program
In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I argue that the Black Lives Matter movement is critical to advancing freedom and human rights worldwide.
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other black Americans by police, and the sustained protests in their wake, present a test for the United States both at home and abroad. They underscore the structural racism that permeates American society and how far the nation remains from delivering on the Constitution’s promise of equal rights and justice for all. Globally, they threaten America’s longstanding, if uneven, role as the world’s leading champion of universal human rights. The success of the Black Lives Matter movement is critical, not only to achieve a more perfect union at home, but also to advance human liberty and dignity worldwide.
Read the full World Politics Review article here.