The Atlantic

America Is Already Different Than It Was Two Weeks Ago

The flurry of recent changes demonstrates how quickly they can be made when those in power have the will to make them.
Source: Jeff Roberson / AP; Shutterstock; Paul Spella / The Atlantic

A lot has changed these past couple of weeks. As protesters have gathered following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in late May, the Black Lives Matter movement has rapidly gained public support. Seizing or at least reading the moment, politicians, companies, and organizations have announced a flurry of new policies and revised positions intended to address structural racism. Those changes are, to varying degrees, set to alter the topography of American society, including police presence in many communities and the offerings on TV and retail shelves.

Why now? The latest protests certainly have played a role in bringing about these developments, but “in actuality,” Saje Mathieu, a history professor

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