It has been 5 years since the murder of George Floyd – a Black man, father, brother, friend, and neighbor – who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. His image along with his last words of “I can’t breathe” went on to galvanize months of protest around the country, a revitalization of the Black Lives Matter movement, and years of working to create change and conversation around race and police reform in workplaces, schools, and other community spaces.
I was living in Washington D.C. at the time of Floyd’s murder and the subsequent unrest. Donald Trump was in his first term, the Covid-19 pandemic was very new and very scary, and I had recently graduated from college working at an internship from my very hot and humid apartment.
I remember watching the news seeing that infamous photo of Trump outside the White House holding the Bible as if he were to be the one trusted and respected, to later that night hearing surveillance helicopters above my apartment. I scrolled Twitter to find out that protestors were kettled by police on a block nearby – effectively trapping them in between riot police on either side of the street. I remember each day intensely deliberating whether it was better to protest and risk getting or spreading Covid or better to stay in, stay safe, and spend my time educating myself instead. I remember making a makeshift mask out of rags and rubber bands, grabbing my camera, and finally making the decision to walk out of my apartment to join a large march and rally that was being planned nearby.
At the march, I met another activist, shot photos, witnessed the deep pain that can only be expressed via resistance.
That lit a fire. In the months following, I read a lot, cried a lot, listened to stories, kept up with the news, and thought about the ways I was contributing to systemic racism. Sometime later, I joined an even larger protest, one that marched right past the White House. I remember the large “Black Lives Matter” mural being painted vertically down 16th street, White House in view. It was removed just a couple months ago, after the city was threatened with federal funding cuts. On X, the mayor of D.C. Muriel Bowser – who has been in office since 2015 – wrote: “The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference.” when explaining the choice to paint over the words.
Five years later, George Floyd and the organizers who made those 2020 protests happen changed how I think and spend my time. White girl radicalized. I quickly got involved with pro-Palestine organizing after October 7, 2023, and I attribute this to George Floyd and the organizers of that summer. I’ve always regretted not doing more back then. Now, I really know the impact that each body has and I know more deeply just how interconnected all of our struggles are. I have grown to find my niche in the movement with photography, art, and communications. Sometimes, I look back on those first protest photos, now with a hard drive full of thousands of them.
In Trump’s second term, as he has turned up the heat on hateful, fascist, and dangerous policies and rhetoric, I am seeing a lot of similarities between now and that summer. The people at boiling point. I urge you to join an organization, take what you are good at and use it for the movement, put your body on the line especially if you have an identity like I do, stay educated, bear witness. Remember the societal shift that occurred after May 25, 2020 – it proves that when we show up, especially en masse, change can be made. Rest in power George Floyd, may we stay resisting in your name.
