No place is immune to systemic racism. In February 2020 in Conway, AR, Lionel Morris was electrocuted with a stun gun by police and died in their custody. This issue exists in each and every community across the country - it is not a long ago problem from the distant past that happened in other places.
Putting current events into a historical context is important - these instances of brutality against the black community are not new. It has been an ingrained, systemic issue in America since the first slave was brought here. These events and individuals are often glossed over or not covered at all in history classes. To understand what is going on now we have to know how we got here.