The scenes coming out of America at the moment are causing a wave of emotions right across the world. Sadness, anger, dismay and so many more.

We can stop and think about how lucky we are to live in this country, but we should also remember our country has had its own issues and its own history. That's something we can stop and reflect on at times like these.

We still have a long way to go to truly reconcile with our past and to level the field for those in disadvantage in our indigenous communities. That work still has a ways to go.

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Yet we must also try not to rationalise what is happening in America by looking at it through an Australian prism.

We should not pass judgement or offer a thought without first trying to understand the history that is contributing to the circumstances unfolding around that country.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has been speaking about the systemic racism which exists in America.

The Mayor said on Twitter that "structural racism haunts the lives of people of color".

"What we're seeing is an overflow due to decades of injustices," de Blasio tweeted. "I see my own privilege and can only understand so much. I know enough to say that for the Black community every day is pervaded by racism. We will do better."

This is more than about George Floyd. It runs so much deeper. This is about systematic racism and inequality which remains in American society today.

This is about a country where the wealth divide between black and white Americans has not changed for over six decades. This is about a country where now 40 million people are unemployed. Think about that for a moment. That's a figure that America has not seen since the Great Depression. There are more people in America's dole queue than there is in our country. There is so much at play here.

We need to take some of the learnings from this and understand why equality of all forms is so important and why we must always continue to strive to do better for all.