In just the past year and a half, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland and Walter Scott — and other unarmed African-American men and women — have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement after what should have been routine encounters with police officers.

Americans not previously aware now struggle with the reality of how people of color are treated by police. Communities of color have been forced to face the reality that driving with a busted taillight, standing on a street corner with friends or simply running away from police in fear, can quickly escalate into a life-or-death situation.