For Immediate Release
May 23, 2025
Contact: [email protected]

WASHINGTON – Race Forward today remembered George Floyd, five years after his brutal murder at the hands of former police officer Derek Chauvin. The national racial equity organization released the following statement, which can be attributed to its president Glenn Harris:

“It has been five years since George Floyd was murdered by former officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While his death sparked nationwide soul-searching on police brutality, excessive force, and racial discrimination, progress always invites backlash. We must remain resilient in the face of the backlash.  Although many corporations and police departments pledged to rethink their policies and do better by Black people, many failed to live up to their promises. But racial progress did not start, nor does it end, with corporations and pledges. The people ensure progress.

“George Floyd’s death, and the uprisings that ensued, taught us that it is indeed possible to prick the conscience of a nation. It also taught us that we need policies that stick, not those that are symbolic but lack enforcement mechanisms. We have also been reminded that after pressure, politicians may be tempted to do what is politically expedient, but we need them to do what is just and right.

“As we remember George Floyd, we also hold space for all who have lost their lives at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. This year also marks 10 years since Freddie Gray was killed following an unrestrained ride in a police van in Baltimore.

The question becomes what do we do with the passing of those who have meant so much? Regardless of what happens, we can never relent in the pursuit of a nation that works for all her people.”

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