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The Broken Promises of Corporate America’s Racial Justice Pledges
The national landscape is as grim as ever nearly five years after the murder of George Floyd
The day after George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020, I was admitted to the hospital.
During my two-day inpatient admission, the horrific video of Mr. Floyd’s final moments was on constant repeat on every news outlet.
It was both tortuous and surreal to see a twenty-first century lynching play out on video. I asked for the television in my room to be turned off for the remainder of my hospital stay.
Like for many African Americans, that video remains traumatic. It is a visceral, undeniable remainder of how the entrenched racism of this nation devastates the Black community.
Floyd’s murder during the summer of 2020 ignited what many media pundits labeled, “America’s Racial Reckoning.” Massive protests against racism, police brutality, and systemic inequality were held not only in the United States, but across the world.
Corporate America soon spoke out. That summer, major brands and companies across numerous industries and markets issued statements proclaiming their support of the Black community; many also pledged to fight racism to help construct “a better…
