SINDI ZILWA: Why black business still can’t breathe
The many knees I felt on my neck during my 23-year journey as an entrepreneur are still pressing down on black professionals today
The US is in crisis. The volcano simmering under the land of milk and honey has erupted due to the brutal attack by a white policeman, Derek Chauvin, on an unarmed black man, George Floyd. Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s neck for six minutes and three seconds while Floyd protested that "I can’t breathe." Floyd then fell inert, yet Chauvin kept his knee on him for another two minutes and 43 seconds before standing up, as if to say: "Another one down."
In a moving eulogy for Floyd, the Rev Al Sharpton spoke of various scenarios where black people have been "kneeled on" by white people. It sparked tears for those who thought their lack of success was due to an inherent inability to succeed, a lack of intelligence, or overambition. Sharpton was clear: this failure was really because of the knees on their necks...
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