Has America learned anything from the George Floyd uprisings? | Eric Morrison-Smith and David Turner III

The response to the demonstrations fell short. But they marked the beginning of a new era that calls for action

Five years ago, the entire world changed when we saw George Floyd's body on the pavement, a knee pressed into his neck - a murder, in broad daylight. Others might have simply witnessed a horrific incident, but Black people saw ourselves, and what it's like to live with a knee on our necks at all times. Because George Floyd wasn't the first - and unless we uproot this system, he won't be the last. The police have gone so far as to remind us of this by killing more people each year since George Floyd.

But the uprisings of 2020 didn't erupt because of one killing. They were the breaking point of centuries of violence and neglect. Trayvon Martin. Freddie Gray. Sandra Bland. Oscar Grant. Breonna Taylor. Dreasjon Reed. Ma'Khia Bryant. Ahmaud Arbery. And far too many others whose names never trended. The message was clear: we've had enough.