3 Years After #GeorgeFloyd: Who is and isn't actually working for change?
And how 'bout them corporations who tried to seem woke?
It’s been 3 years since the world, hushed by the first phases of COVID lockdown, collectively viewed the horrific video showing the racist murder of an innocent Black man, George Floyd, by the unapologetically racist white cop Derek Chauvin.
Reactions to this atrocity ran the gamut. While many of us People of the Global Majority grieved, mourned, and raged, some corporations opted to pimp our trauma for their own benefit.
Within days it seemed like every business with your email address spammed you with faux messages about how awful they felt—while trumpeting their commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Some even added a “J” for Justice to the DEI acronym. More than a few companies pledged $$$ to help fight racism.
Some companies joined the social media move to replace their profile pic with a black box to show that they were down with #BLACKLIVESMATTER.
Many of us knew better than to be moved or impressed by these gestures, because we’d lived through this cycle too many times before.
Us old heads who’d been through the pre-digital version of this dance in the 1960s and 1970s knew there wasn’t much chance of ACTUAL change, or sustained support for real progress.
Experience taught us that if white supremacy is shocked enough—or made to look guilty enough—they’ll decide it’s to their advantage to respond. This response often takes the form of pledges or actual donations of resources (financial and otherwise) to lessen the pain and mute the rising voices of protest. They’re savvy enough to protect their brand, market share, and profitability. By any means necessary, ya dig?
We also know that these pledges / promises / platitudes have a short shelf life. Once our grief, rage, and trauma have become normalized into the hum of society’s injustice, their guilt dissipates, and they revert to their comfortable (and profitable) status quo.
Color me cynical.
With receipts.
How ‘bout that police violence?
“Now, three years since Floyd’s murder, proponents of federal actions — such as banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, and changing the so-called qualified immunity protections for law enforcement — still await signs of change,” reports the Associated Press, which describes what has and hasn’t happened since that unforgettable day.
And on the job front?
One thing we’d expect is a surge in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) jobs (hopefully filled by People of the Global Majority) at various public and private companies.
So yeah: while DEI gigs first dipped by 60% at the start of the pandemic, George Floyd’s murder sent them skyrocketing by 55%, reports the Society for Human Resource Management.
Today, not only are 33% of those DEI jobs are disappearing (contrasted with 21% of jobs in other areas), but in the article, “Cutting Costs at the Expense of Diversity,” workforce trend research and analysis firm Revelio Labs reports that some well-known companies—including TripAdvisor, Wells Fargo, American Airlines, Honeywell, Walmart, IBM, and Capital One—'“have had sharp declines in their diverse new hires.”
Shoutout to my friend and colleague, the awesome OG #BLEWISH journalist / activist ROBIN WASHINGTON for the heads-up on these corporate hiring patterns in the piece he wrote today for The Forward, “On the Anniversary of George Floyd’s Murder, DEI is Under Attack.”
‘As we mark the third anniversary of the death of George Floyd today, it is only fitting we review the progress made to date as a result of commitments of corporations and organizations to further civil rights, equity, diversity, inclusion, and building generational wealth for Black and brown communities.’
Today, on the third anniversary of this racist atrocity, the National Action Network (NAN), and the National Urban League announced that, “Corporations are being put on notice that used #GeorgeFloyd to do drive-by risk mitigation.”
A post from the Rev. Al Sharpton, head of NAN, stated that:
In a letter today a coalition led by @nationalactionnetwork & @naturbanleague requested information on what commitments they have made since 2020, how much money has been pledged, and the amount the plan to continue spending on racial equity.
Dear [ ],
Three years ago, the world watched in horror as a Black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota was killed by paid public servants who were tasked to serve and protect. Many corporations were quick to respond to the nation’s reckoning with systematic racism and injustices by committing to make significant financial contributions to help support minority businesses and organizations in their efforts to build communities and generational wealth.
As we mark the third anniversary of the death of George Floyd today, it is only fitting we review the progress made to date as a result of commitments of corporations and organizations to further civil rights, equity, diversity, inclusion, and building generational wealth for Black and brown communities. At the time those commitments were initially made, there was a lack of clarity regarding where those financial contributions could best be spent to address the nation’s civil injustices. Today, there is even less information in the public domain regarding whether the corporate spending for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has happened and where the funds were allocated.
To read more go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net
NAN and other civil rights groups are marking this date by working for the passage of a George Floyd Namesake Act to hold law enforcement accountable and lobby for real progress instead of superficial faux posturing.
Marking Three Years Since George Floyd's Murder, Civil Rights Leaders Urge Passage of His Namesake Act
By National Urban League
Published10 AM EDT, Thu May 25, 2023
National Urban League, National Action Network, NAACP, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and National Council of Negro Women: “We need police accountability and demand that Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act now.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 18, 2023) – As the three-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death approaches, leaders of the nation’s Black-led legacy civil rights organizations condemned Congress’ failure to advance legislation to bring accountability to law enforcement.
“Time and again, we’ve seen Black and Brown communities devastated by police tragedies and the officers involved are rarely held accountable for their actions,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “Our reform efforts must focus on police accountability and restoring community trust. The violent tactics we’ve seen used in situations that did not warrant them run counter to proper police training methods and deepen the distrust between communities and the police. The National Urban League’s Toward a New Age of Community Safety report, released last week, outlines community-led prevention systems that replace the traditional police response. Had Congress leaned more into these alternative methods, tragedies like George Floyd’s murder would not have happened. Congress has a responsibility to prioritize the safety and security of communities across this country; they can and must do so by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”
READ THE REST OF THE LETTER HERE
As we meditate on the third anniversary of this atrocity, and the endless stream of those before, during, and after…let’s be inspired by those who ARE working towards tangible, sustainable solutions.
And let’s continue to side-eye those entities that show brief flashes of “consciousness” when they think it will help their bottom lines…because we deserve better.
And nothing will change until WE do!
#GeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter #2020 #RacialReckoning #DefundThePolice #Racism #WhiteSupremacy #NationalActionNetwork #NAACP #NAACPLegalDefense&EducationalFund #NCNW #PoliceBrutality #DEI #DEIJ #CorporateResponsibility
POWERFUL and so very accurate!!
Thank you SO very much, Jamesina! I appreciate you!