Reflections of A Year on the Anniversary of George Floyd's Murder

Alt text: A shape of a human upper torso can be seen. The head on the torso is that of George Floyd, a Black man murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. Inside the torso are images of the history of Black people in the United States, from slavery to police brutality. In the lower right-hand corner, the whipped and lashed back of a Black male slave can be seen. Throughout the torso there are many images depicting the era of Jim Crow, including a sign that says “A Man Was Lynched Yesterday” and another protest sign that says “I AM A Man.” The faces of many Black lives taken by white supremacy adorn the torso; these faces include Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Breonna Taylor, Emmitt Till, and Sandra Bland.

Photo courtesy of The New Yorker, 2020.

It’s been one year since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin.

One year since people took to the streets to proclaim that Black Lives Matter and that the police need to be held accountable for their actions.

One year where even performative allyship became too much of a burden for way too many white folx to want to shoulder because the payoff had diminishing returns for their own ego and perceived self-worth.

One year since many white people began having no choice but to grapple with the blatant and dangerous white supremacy they consciously and unconsciously perpetuate and uphold inside and outside the workplace.

One year since many non-Black people and an overwhelming amount of white people stopped talking about or caring about Black lives mattering.

One year since the calls for abolishing the policing system we have in this country and replacing it with something that actually serves and protects the entire citizenry became a deafening roar.

One year where police officers across the United States went on the defensive and quit their jobs and threatened not to do their jobs at all instead of even trying to hear the pleas of the communities they swear that they serve.

One year that didn’t stop or even remotely slow down police across the United States from killing Black folx without a second thought (414 people have been killed by the police in 2021 alone - and we’re not even at the halfway point of the calendar year).

One year since your employer made broad statements and sweeping declarations that Black Lives Matter only to slowly roll that messaging back, not engage with the white supremacy in your workplace, and go right back to treating Black employees like they’re “problematic” and “unprofessional.”

One year in which the men responsible for killing Breonna Taylor have yet to face any real accountability for their actions.

One year where Black people were asked by white people over and over again to rehash their personal trauma and generational trauma to “prove” to white society in the workplace and in their communities that white supremacy is real, that whiteness is and has been killing Black people for centuries, and that the feelings and views of Black people are valid.

One year where the woman who killed Botham Jean in his home felt that she should appeal her conviction because in her heart of hearts she feels she was wronged by the system for killing a Black man in his own home.

One year in which Nancy Pelosi felt it was appropriate to thank George Floyd for being murdered and “sacrificing himself for justice.”

One year in which during the trial of Derek Chauvin, police in the same city where George Floyd was murdered killed Daunte Wright.

One year when during the reading of the verdict of the trial of Derek Chauvin, police killed a young Black girl named Ma’Khia Bryant.

One year in which Derek Chauvin is aiming to appeal his conviction before sentencing, citing that one of the jurors allegedly attended a BLM rally so his jury wasn’t an impartial one.

One year in which very little action has been taken by cities and states across the country to address police violence toward Black folx and communities of color.

One year with little to no impactful legislation or budgetary changes aimed toward restructuring the police or even talking about reform from the state or federal level.

And all of this amidst the ongoing pain and weight of a global pandemic ravaging Black, Brown, and Native communities across the country while hate crimes toward AAPI communities increased in the most escalated and life-ending way across the United States due to ignorance and hate spewed by the former President of the United States and his followers.

One year.

No justice.

No peace.

Two steps forward. Three steps back.

No matter how many steps forward or back, no matter how many hurdles or roadblocks white supremacy puts in our way, this work will continue. Black folx will continue fighting for George and Breonna and every Black flame extinguished by whiteness because that is all we can do. Fight and keep fighting. For the future; for our little ones so that the world we leave them is hopefully better for their little ones. Whether white people fight alongside us or against us we will still fight, in the streets and in our workplaces.

We’ll keep fighting until the police killing Black people isn’t so embedded in the news cycle that it’s a given and an afterthought.

We’ll keep fighting until the number of anniversaries mourning the culling of Black bodies is in the single digits instead of double and triple digits.

We fight to continue to live.

That’s all we can do.