Did Black Lives Matter protests achieve long-lasting changes? Sobering results five years after George Floyd killing

Americans on May 25 mark five years since African-American George Floyd was killed by a police officer, an incident that catapulted into the spotlight domestically and internationally thanks to the violent act’s video recorded by a bypasser, who went on to be granted a special award by the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for her input into journalism. The killing of Floyd in 2020, when the police officer pushed his knee into Floyd's for over 9 minutes during his arrest, sparked a massive outpouring of grief and anger as protesters took to the streets with handcrafted signs echoing some of his last words, "I can't breathe," thrusting Black Lives Matter (BLM) into the national spotlight. Millions joined demonstrations from coast to coast, demanding justice and an end to systemic racism. However, five years later, the movement’s visibility has faded.

The once-iconic Black Lives Matter mural near the White House is gone just as several others across the country, and public support has declined significantly, with an article by Japan Times citing statistics that point to approval ratings for the movement having dropped from 67% in mid-2020 to 52% today.

Experts like Yohuru Williams of the University of St. Thomas told the publication that BLM struggled to sustain momentum because its calls for structural change that emerged from their initial protesting demands—particularly defunding the police—alienated portions of the public. Although Floyd’s death initially inspired hope for a new civil rights era, the movement has yielded limited political results. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act failed to pass Congress, and other key reforms have stalled.

Protests following Floyd’s death, intensified by pandemic-related tensions, expanded BLM’s mission beyond police brutality to broader systemic issues, prompting removals of Confederate statues and corporate diversity initiatives. Yet, Yale professor Phillip Solomon believes BLM missed a crucial moment. He likens Floyd’s death to a modern-day lynching that briefly unified public outrage but failed to lead to lasting legislative or cultural change.

For a time, the protests sparked by George Floyd’s murder led to tangible changes. Some local police reforms have been enacted, including limits on use-of-force policies and alternatives to armed police responses. States like New Jersey introduced new policing guidelines, and companies across the US adopted workplace policies centered on DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the wake of George Floyd's murder, major corporations pledged billions to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), with companies like Walmart, Nike, and Target investing in social justice programs. On the day of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order dismantling what he called “illegal DEI and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) mandates” across the federal government.  Even before this move, some corporations had begun pulling back on DEI initiatives, and Trump’s stance accelerated that trend, with more companies following suit.

This retreat has drawn criticism from activists who argue that companies were never fully committed to systemic change. Activist Portia Allen-Kyle of “Color of Change” contends that many diversity efforts were superficial, functioning more as public relations strategies than meaningful reforms. She said the activism and protests sparked by Floyd’s murder were genuine, but the momentum ultimately fell short in transforming that energy into lasting systemic change for justice and equality.

Minneapolis’s first Black police chief, Medaria Arradondo, who was in office during Floyd’s death, warns of the "grave consequences" if the country fails to enact meaningful reforms. “We cannot sleepwalk into the next crisis,” he cautioned.

The National Urban League’s latest report supports that concern, stating that post-Floyd America has pushed marginalised groups into deeper hardship. League president Marc Morial argues that progress has not just stalled—it’s reversed, particularly under Donald Trump’s administration. His Justice Department ended civil rights probes, weakened police accountability, and restricted diversity efforts. According to an article by Times of India, some experts believe Trump's re-election was partly a backlash to the BLM movement, which transformed into riots calling for the defunding of police forces.

In a stark illustration of the political backlash, some of Trump’s supporters are even calling for Derek Chauvin, Floyd’s killer, to be pardoned. Yet, amid this rollback, Arradondo remains cautiously hopeful. "History has shown we make incremental change,” he said. “We’ve got a tough road ahead, but I believe we’ll get there.”

By Nazrin Sadigova