It took America only five years to forget about George Floyd

Witnessing the death of an innocent Black man caused this country to reflect. However, the subsequent "racial awakening" proved to be short-lived

By Carron J. Phillips

His death was supposed to have been a change agent. Five years later, it’s clear that George Floyd’s death changed nothing.

The world caught fire. People took to the streets. Anger boiled over. Eyes were opened. Conversations were had. Realizations set in.

Then it all went away.

Why?

Because discussing racism is acceptable. Rectifying it isn’t.

With the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death upon us, there will be a bevy of things said and written about what took place on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. Almost all of it will be useless, as nearly all of it will come from people who are part of the reason why nothing — or so little — has changed since that fateful day. Be prepared to see Floyd’s legacy hijacked in the same way Martin Luther King Jr.’s is on MLK Day — thoughts, prayers, statements, and quotes used solely for the convenience of the moment.

For many, the summer of 2020 felt like a turning point. Hope and action came together in a powerful way. Beyond the marches and protests, we witnessed white politicians donning African garments and kneeling in the nation's capital. Though this act might have seemed laughable and superficial, it stood as evidence that "white guilt" had reached its peak.

For instance, ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit broke down in tears on live television as if he’d been affected by centuries of oppression. “You can listen and try to help because this is not okay. It’s just not. We’ve got to do better, man. We’ve got to lock arm in arm and be together.” If nothing else, it was a testament to how much sports plays a part in race relations in this country.

The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted a playoff game in the NBA bubble after the police shooting of Jacob Blake that halted all sports in an act of solidarity. This was no small thing, either. Remember, because of the pandemic, sports were basically the only live entertainment we had. Athletes were starting to realize how much power they had, and they used it.

"Black Lives Matter" was prominently displayed on NBA courts, and "End Racism" was etched in NFL end zones, reinforcing the message of racial and social justice. We also witnessed the WNBA's crucial role in the political arena, helping Raphael Warnock become Georgia’s first Black U.S. senator -- even though he defeated former WNBA owner Kelly Loeffler.

Everything was moving at lightning speed. Progress was fast-tracked. DEI – diversity, equity, and inclusion--was embraced like never before.

However, any advancement was performative. Before the summer ended, Kyle Rittenhouse happened. A few months later, when it seemed genuine change was on the horizon after Donald Trump lost his re-election bid, the date of Jan. 6, 2021, became permanently etched in history books around the world.

The erasure of Floyd’s legacy and the initial steps to repeal the progress made were already underway. Recently, events have escalated significantly.

“I pledged to root out DEI,” West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey recently said at a ceremonial bill signing. “Now I can report to you that we are following through with that promise, and that's a wonderful reason to be here today. DEI is dead in the Mountain State.”

Artifacts related to slavery and civil rights at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture are being rotated out of exhibits before a potential review by the White House, according to a report from NBC News. This follows an executive order signed by Trump, which mandates that the museum remove any exhibits that "divide Americans based on race."

Floyd’s death fits the description. And it’s why “some” are hoping his killer, Derek Chauvin, gets pardoned.

“I'm definitely open to looking at other examples of police officers who have been treated unjustly like this,” podcaster Ben Shapiro said about the possibility of Chauvin, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, being pardoned. Shapiro and Elon Musk have been advocating for President Donald Trump to take action on the matter.

“We’ve heard the same rumors as everyone else – but the bottom line is that Derek Chauvin would remain behind bars serving his state sentence even if his federal charges are pardoned,” Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette wrote in a statement. “To be clear, we have no credible intelligence about any pardon or planned disruptions here in Minneapolis. Since 2020, we’ve overhauled our emergency management plans and out of an abundance of caution are planning for any eventuality.”

At its core, this issue highlights the realization that, throughout the history of this country, there has never been a sustainable commitment to eradicating systemic racism. Achieving that would require dismantling and rebuilding the very foundations on which America was built and continues to thrive. This lack of commitment is why the wave of DEI initiatives faltered before reaching its peak.

“Black Fatigue highlights the history of white supremacist, racist systems that have led to Black intergenerational fatigue. It focuses on the impact of Black fatigue not only on Blacks but also on society,” reads the preface to Mary-Frances Winters’ 2020 book—considered the first to “define and explore the intergenerational impact of systemic racism on the health of Black people and how to combat its pernicious effects.”

“The racist system is not just literally killing Black people; it is tearing the whole nation apart. In every aspect of life, from socioeconomics to education, the workforce, criminal justice, and, very importantly, health outcomes, for the most part the trajectory for Black people is not improving,” Winters explains. “It is paradoxical that with all the attention over the last 50 years on social justice and diversity and inclusion, we have made little progress in actualizing the vision of an equitable society.”

There is also a contrasting perspective to Black fatigue — that is, the idea that white America will eventually grow weary of hearing about the historical and ongoing treatment of Black Americans. This perspective often manifests as frustration, seen in courtrooms and politics. An example of this is the acquittal of three former police officers in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. Even though the victim and the officers involved were Black and the incident occurred in a predominantly Black city, the outcome was determined by a jury from a majority-white county located outside the area.

A few days before the fifth anniversary of when Floyd was taken from us, the Justice Department announced that it was ending police reform agreements in the cities of Louisville, Ky., and Minneapolis, Minn., — which were implemented to address unconstitutional policing and civil rights violations — that had been spearheaded after Floyd’s death.

As I said before. Discussing racism is acceptable, rectifying it isn’t.

Five years ago, while millions were confined to their homes, people around the world witnessed the death of a Black man. That singular event provided many with the evidence they needed to finally acknowledge the harsh realities of the Black experience in America. Now, five years later, society has returned to business as usual. The burden of "white guilt" has been lifted.

The death of George Floyd was a tragic event, and its aftermath reveals another unsettling truth from that summer, made all the more clear by the 2024 presidential election: Breonna Taylor is overlooked in discussions about justice and police violence. Her name and story are just as significant as Floyd and others. In a country in which Black women are frequently forgotten, marginalized, and mistreated, the struggle to remember Taylor while casting a ballot in the first election featuring a Black woman at the top of the ticket was too much for Americans.

Carron J. Phillips is an award-winning journalist who writes on race, culture, social issues, politics, and sports. He hails from Saginaw, Michigan, and is a graduate of Morehouse College and Syracuse University.

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