George Floyd Five Years Later - Was It a Moment or a Movement

NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE ISSUES NEW REPORT: GEORGE FLOYD FIVE YEARS LATER—WAS IT A MOMENT OR A MOVEMENT?

New Report Tracks Five Years of Reckoning, Resistance, and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 15, 2025) — The National Urban League today unveiled its latest report, George Floyd Five Years Later: Was It a Moment or a Movement? –  offering a sobering reflection on America’s racial justice journey since May 25, 2020. 

The report delivers a detailed analysis of the wins, setbacks, and urgent work ahead as the nation continues grappling with systemic racism and deep-rooted inequities.

“George Floyd’s murder shook the world—but shaking the world is not enough,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “Five years later, this report asks the essential question: Did we seize the moment to build a lasting movement, or did we squander the chance for transformative change?”

The organization issued the report as part of its Legislative Policy Conference, an annual convening of members of Congress, state and local leaders, and community advocates working to shape a policy agenda that advances equity and opportunity for all Americans.

The report highlights:

• Progress and roadblocks in policing reform at local, state, and federal levels
• The rise—and troubling retreat—of corporate racial equity pledges
• The Biden administration’s equity-focused investments—and looming threats of reversal
• The resilience of grassroots organizers and the Urban League’s 92 affiliates pushing for systemic change in communities nationwide

The report also underscores how backlash, policy rollbacks, and judicial challenges are testing the nation’s commitment to equity and justice.

“History will judge us not by how we responded in the days after George Floyd’s death, but by what we are building five, ten, and twenty years later,” Morial said. “The fight for justice, safety, and dignity is far from over—and the stakes for our democracy could not be higher.”

 

The full report is available at NUL.org