A single incident occurring over an almost unbearably long duration of 8 minutes and 46 seconds, later edited to 9 minutes and 29 seconds, rapidly imprinted itself on the public consciousness of America. This was the time during which George Floyd, an African American, lost his life underneath a Caucasian officer’s knee on the streets of Minneapolis in May 2020. The tragic event prompted moments of silence in several key institutions, often lasting the same excruciating length of time, from the New York Stock Exchange to the United States Congress and even at public gatherings held in the UK. All this occurred within a two-week period.
By the start of July 2020, as many as 26 million Americans are believed to have shown solidarity at over 4,700 demonstrations. Across the pond in England, an impressive number of participants rallied in responses that ranged from Bristol to Birmingham and Belfast. The numbers exceeded those rallying for the popular ‘Rock Against Racism’ initiative in the 70s. Worldwide, demonstrations are estimated to have spread to as many as 93 countries.
It wasn’t merely the quantities involved in the Black Lives Matter protests that astonished observers. The momentum it gained and how it suddenly appeared to dissipate was extraordinary. Now, half a decade since those captivating events of 2020, one wonders about the impact of George Floyd’s passing in the United States and the United Kingdom. Was this merely a fleeting outcry, or did it echo the beginning of a true movement that marked significant change?
The consequences for BLM activists in America appears paradoxical compared to their original intentions. Mathis Ebbinghaus, a burgeoning scholar in sociology at Oxford University, compiled and analysed data from 2018 to 2021 on police budgets for 264 major cities, focusing on the impact of the BLM movement. The surprising fact, however, is the unfortunate statistic sourced from the Washington Post database that on average since 2015, more than 1,000 individuals have been fatally shot by the police each year, with African Americans bearing more than double the fatality rate of their Caucasian counterparts.
In 2024, the tally of casualties resulting from police gunfire hit a peak of 1,173. The UK witnessed slightly more promising attempts at police reforms in response, but their victories were only marginally better.
With George Floyd’s tragic demise and the ongoing frictions between the police and the Black community as motivators, the National Police Chiefs’ Council in collaboration with the College of Policing, introduced the Police Race Action Plan in 2022. Three years post-launch, the PRAP has received modest praise in spite of some noticeable improvements: staff expulsion due to discriminatory behavior doubled in 2022/2023 compared to 2020/2021; there was a decrease in stop-and-search procedures involving Black individuals; and an increasing ratio of Black officers in the force.
However, many on the political left remain annoyed with a perceived lost chance to truly reform the institution of policing. This sensation of symbolic gestures largely devoid of substantial action reached a climax in the corporate sector, which incidentally faced the strongest pushback recently.
Within three years of the unfortunate demise of George Floyd, corporate entities had publicly committed a staggering $340 billion in pursuit of battling racial bias. They proposed setting tangible diversity objectives, recruiting specialized staff, and rolling out fresh training protocols. Yet, this corporate recognition wasn’t met with universal approval among employees. By 2024, there were observable signs of a slowdown in the DEI sector, with the attrition rate outpacing that of other functions by twice.
The primary method through which the British public engaged with the tragic loss of George Floyd was not via official reports or subsequent events, but via the immediate impact of social media. As a show of their support for racial justice, millions of users on these platforms posted black squares on their profiles in June 2020. This worldwide effort was summed up in the global campaign known as Blackout Tuesday.
Given the existing conditions, it’s challenging to dispute the fact that BLM has encountered significant setbacks across different arenas. These sectors range from political circles to police reformation efforts, and from corporate boardrooms to educational classrooms. The latter witnessed a vehement backlash in response to BLM’s advocacy for critical race theory—a contentious concept frequently misunderstood in relation to systemic racism.
Yet, there is still some optimism at the grassroot levels—in local organization initiatives, mutual assistance, and youthful activism. Consequently, the legacy might not strictly be about the actions of governmental bodies, but in the continuing efforts of community groups and movement participants in their struggle for justice.
The fundamental principles underlying BLM’s existence—those of justice, safety, and dignity—remain as pressing as ever, and the fight for them is ongoing. Positive change isn’t always a straight track or instantaneous, and the fruits of these efforts can take awhile to nurture and grow.
Or to paraphrase it in another perspective: it takes a longer duration to firmly establish a person’s legacy than it does to take away his life.