Six Years After George Floyd’s Death: Assessing Progress, Backlash, and Ongoing Activism

On May 25 2026, Minneapolis marked the sixth anniversary of George Floyd’s killing by former officer Derek Chauvin. City officials, community groups, and Floyd’s family gathered at George Floyd Square, where a new flexible open-street design is slated to begin construction. Organizers framed the day as both remembrance and a litmus test for the reforms promised after the 2020 protests.

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Floyd’s death—captured on video as he gasped “I can’t breathe” while a knee pressed to his neck for more than nine minutes—triggered worldwide protests, a surge in civil-rights activism, and a brief legislative push for police reform. The same year saw the murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks, reinforcing a pattern of racially motivated violence. Activists now describe the period as a “modern civil-rights era” marked by voting-rights redistricting battles and a resurgence of anti-DEI policies.

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Key figures include Gerald A. Griggs (Georgia NAACP chair), Cicley Gay (Black Lives Matter Global Network chair), Jamal Bryant (senior pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church), civil-rights attorney Lee Merritt, and nonprofit founder Leslie Redmond (Win Back). Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis, Floyd’s relatives Selwyn Jones and Angela Harrelson, and clergy such as Rev. Karen Brau also shape the narrative.

Six Years Later, Black Churches Refuse to Forget Floyd

• Floyd died after a knee was pressed to his neck for more than nine minutes.

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• Chauvin is serving a 22½-year sentence.

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• Win Back has awarded over $50,000 in scholarships in Floyd’s name.

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• Merritt describes the post-2020 climate as a “brief season of courage followed by a long season of retreat.”

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• Redistricting battles now affect at least 15 Southern states, according to activist testimony.

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Mayor Frey said Floyd’s death forced Minneapolis to confront “painful truths about race, policing, inequity, and trust,” and pledged continued police reform and community investment. Griggs warned the nation remains “locked in a modern civil-rights era” and urged vigilance before “more rights disappear.” Redmond highlighted the need to “double down” on activism as “the weight is heavier than before.” Merritt argued early promises of transformation have largely stalled, describing the current climate as a “brief season of courage followed by a long season of retreat.”

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Conservative commentators challenged the commemoration. Tomi Lahren dismissed the mayor’s post as a “parody,” while Laura Loomer claimed Floyd died from a fentanyl overdose. Columnist Dustin Grage linked the protests to economic damage, and Andy Ngo blamed “defunding police policies” for subsequent killings. These statements frame the anniversary as a partisan flashpoint rather than a moment of collective reckoning.

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Floyd’s uncle Selwyn Jones recalled watching the footage “without realizing it was my nephew,” noting “not enough change, but as long as we keep fighting… and showing unity.” Aunt Angela Harrelson called for a memorial that remains “sacred without over-commercializing it.” Churches nationwide held vigils, gospel concerts, and “Rise & Remember” festivals, with clergy like Rev. Karen Brau describing ongoing “truth-telling” as essential.

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Medical examiners attributed Floyd’s death to asphyxia, while his family’s examiner emphasized drug use, creating divergent narratives about causality. Activists cite the absence of a federal “George Floyd Act” on police reform, yet no comprehensive legislation has been enacted. The extent to which recent redistricting proposals will dilute Black voting power remains unverified.

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• “The dog whistle is now a train blow,” — Jamal Bryant, senior pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church

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• “What we don’t remember, we repeat.” — Leslie Redmond, founder, Win Back

Six Years Later, Black Churches Refuse to Forget Floyd

• “In those first months, elected officials, corporations, and institutions promised transformation,” — Lee Merritt, civil-rights attorney

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• “Not enough change, but as long as we keep fighting, as long as this event keeps happening, yes, and showing unity,” — Selwyn Jones, Floyd’s uncle

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• “But love is not soft. Love is strategic. It is infrastructure. It’s what allows movements to survive after the cameras leave.” — Cicley Gay, BLM Global Network chair

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The flexible street redesign at George Floyd Square is set to begin later in 2026, symbolizing a physical reshaping of the memorial space. Simultaneously, civil-rights groups are mobilizing around upcoming redistricting cycles, voter-registration drives, and church-led justice initiatives, signaling that the struggle sparked in 2020 remains an active, contested front.

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