On Wednesday, June 3, the Today Show’s Sheinelle Jones accompanied fellow television hosts Dylan Dreyer and Al Roker to discuss the ongoing protests over racial injustice. Jones expressed her opinion that while many desire for things to go back to normal, it is important that things don’t return to normal without there first being necessary change, according to Today.
In recent weeks, protests have erupted not only throughout the nation but also in countries around the world. This comes after the unjust death of an African-American man named George Floyd who died at the hands of Minneapolis police. Since then, a former police officer named Derek Chauvin, who was involved in the incident, was arrested and charged with second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Jones noted that while many people long for peace and an end to all of the unrest, it can’t happen until justice takes place. While normal might be okay for some, it is not okay for the many people who have not been treated with dignity and respect.
“I think we’re all wrestling with this desire to get back to a place where it was a little bit more peaceful, but I think if we allow ourselves to say ‘I just want to get back to normal,’ that to me is the problem. For some people, normal is fine, but for so many people who’ve felt disenfranchised and frustrated, for them normal isn’t OK any more. Even though it’s uncomfortable, I think we have to sit in a place where we have to acknowledge that normal isn’t necessarily OK, so if we want to get back to a new normal, then fine.”
Roker agreed with her statement but noted that the concept that positive change needs to happen is difficult for some to comprehend. He went on to say that real positive change takes time. The end to racism and injustice will unfortunately not occur overnight.
Dreyer revealed that for the first time ever, she had been inspired to have a candid conversation with her own mother regarding race. Jones commended her for doing so, saying that this is a great time for people to have open discussions regarding difficult topics.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, in addition to Chauvin, three other former police officers have also been charged in connection to Floyd’s death. They include Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane. This announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon, and they all have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.