O.J. Simpson gave us a preview of today’s America

O.J. Simpson’s 1995 murder trial offered a prelude to the political and social climate of today’s US, where many White and non-White people inhabit different worlds and Americans across the political spectrum can’t agree on a simple set of facts.

For millions of Americans, it’s a moment they can’t forget. On October 3, 1995, people gathered around TVs in living rooms, bars and workplaces to watch the verdict in the trial of O.J. Simpson, who had been charged with the grisly murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. In the split second after the not guilty verdict was read, we saw White and non-White America rupture. Many Black Americans cheered, pumped their fists and exchanged high-fives, while many White Americans gasped in disbelief and anger. When the news broke Thursday that Simpson had died at 76 from cancer, much of the immediate commentary focused on his past: His Hall of Fame NFL career; the surreal, slow-speed chase in his white Ford Bronco; the millions of Americans who were riveted by his televised trial for more than eight months, binge-watching before the term was even invented. But Simpson’s death says something more about the present than the past in America — and that split-screen reaction to his verdict shows why. What happened at his trial offered a sneak preview of the country we live in today.