Global Atlanta The Feb. 5 launch of Race Beyond Borders is aimed at setting the stage for a broader interdisciplinary exploration of a vital global issue that hits home in Atlanta. Anna Westerstahl Stenport One of the defining characteristics of 2020 was a national realization that despite the progress of the last century, racism is still all too embedded in American society. For some, the death of George Floyd and the amplification of the Black Lives Matter movement was a wakeup call. For others, it was simply further proof that those in power have been willfully ignorant when it comes to topics like mass incarceration, economic inequality and police violence.