I would like to think that I’ve always had a grasp on the concept of racism, having been both a bystander, and on the receiving end of it. I have always made an effort to stay informed, but informed is not the same as invested.

The past few days have left me outraged, angry and overwhelmed; the manifestation of grief for a man I will never know. I am suddenly struck by an entirely abstract concept. How is it that we have formed a society where a person can be murdered, in broad daylight, by the very people who are meant to protect him? How is it that a lion can be safely captured and transported, but a human cannot?

Why is it even happening? How have we developed a concept of justice to be so unjust? How can an innocent man have his future taken from him, purely for looking a certain way?

I wish I had the answers to all of these questions, but I don’t. Instead I have to stand and watch, the way those bystanders did. I have to use my words, even though words just don’t feel good enough, because they aren’t working.

I remember somebody once telling me that if I wasn’t acutely aware of white privilege, then I was part of the problem. I struggled to understand this at first – I was upset, as I had always tried to treat people with respect, regardless of their race. However, I think I am finally beginning to understand; if we turn away from the horrors of our world en masse, then nobody will be there to address them.

The sad truth is that we need people of all races to combat this horrible threat. We need to utilise the very problem of race distinction to form a solution – to show that we stand as one, regardless of our faces or where we come from.

White privilege is not just a concept created to appease social correctness. It doesn’t matter what you choose to call it. White privilege is not fearing for your life when you leave your house. White privilege is knowing that a police officer wouldn’t compress your airway with his knee because of the colour of your skin.

It’s no use just being informed anymore. If it’s not alarming, if you’re not outraged, if you’re not willing to challenge these concepts or do something about them: you’re not paying attention.