5 Years After George Floyd’s Death, Activists Say the Promise of Change Remains Unfulfilled

By Alexis Wray, and Eden Turner, Sabreen Dawud, The 19th

They were once hopeful that outrage over Floyd’s death would improve racial equity for Black Americans. Now they worry the country is going in the opposite direction.

The fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death is approaching, a time that many remember as a “racial reckoning” that heightened the world’s attention on police brutality and its deadly impact on Black people.

Activists, leaders and community members believed five years ago that the country would point to this moment as the one that brought lasting change toward racial equity. Now, the majority of Americans say that moment has passed with its promise unfulfilled.

In a study published on May 7, the Pew Research Center found that in 2020, 52 percent of U.S. adults believed that an increased focus on racial issues across the country would lead to significant change in the years to come. In 2025, 72 percent of U.S. adults said that the focus on racial inequality did not lead to any changes that helped the Black community. 

Furthermore, in 2025, 67 percent of Black Americans said they felt doubtful the United States would ever achieve racial equality; 65 percent felt similarly in 2020.

The 19th spoke with Black activists about the country’s progress toward equality since Floyd’s death and how they envision a more inclusive future.

Learn what they had to say.

George Floyd has become part of Black history.

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