23-05-2025
Reflecting on five years since George Floyd's death
Young protesters hold their fists in the air during a Black Lives Matter march on Aug. 1, 2020, in Portland, Oregon. ()
I distinctly remember where I was when I first heard the news about the tragic killing of George Floyd. A wave of emotions hit me — shock, followed closely by anger, as tears streamed down my face. Fear quickly followed, and in that moment, I knew he could have easily been my cousin, my brother, or my sister.
Anger surged as I realized it didn't matter how polite, accomplished, wealthy or educated you were — there was no form of 'Black excellence' that could protect me from the brutal truth: If you look like me and my family, you live in constant fear.
At any moment, you could be reminded that your life is not valued in the eyes of our government. It wasn't just the footage itself, but what it represented — the raw, repeated reality of anti-Black violence, and a system that has allowed it to persist unchecked for generations.
Five years later, we all still carry the burden of George Floyd's final words: 'I can't breathe.' This phrase has become a global rallying cry for justice and a future where Black lives are valued, protected and celebrated.
The days and months that followed sparked protests, statements and commitments unlike anything we'd seen in decades. Millions took to the streets. Polls in the summer of 2020 estimated that between 15 million and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making the protests the largest in U.S. history.
Institutions pledged change. Some cities, including Portland, promised to invest in racial equity and reimagine public safety.
At Imagine Black, we saw a surge in people asking: 'What can I do? How do we make this moment matter?'
Entering its sixteenth year, Imagine Black helps our Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve and build our political participation and leadership to achieve them. Naturally, 2020 was a year for Imagine Black to step up and show out.
From leading and speaking at major protests organized by partners like Reimagine Oregon to engaging in ongoing dialogue with city leaders, Imagine Black sprang into action in 2020 — and hasn't let up since.
In November 2020, 82 percent of the city's voters approved the ballot initiative Measure 26-217, which changed the city's charter to create a new community police oversight board that, once set up, will be the country's most potent. When this initiative was attacked in 2024, Imagine Black, ACLU of Oregon and several other partner organizations banded together to defend it in the courts and won.
The years since 2020 have made one thing clear: while the movement shifted the conversation, the systems we face are still deeply rooted in racism, economic exploitation and political exclusion.
Some reforms were quietly reversed. The City of Portland's police budget surged to its highest level ever. Funding was clawed back. The backlash was swift and, in many cases, effective. Donors no longer wanted to fund Black-led organizations. Dominant-culture nonprofits scaled back their commitments to supporting Black-led initiatives. Black leaders were burned out. Movements were surveilled. Communities were once again asked to do more with less.
With the return of the Trump administration, the stakes are even higher. This new era of national leadership threatens to accelerate rollbacks on racial justice, deepen economic inequality, and embolden state violence. Despite this, Imagine Black never stopped organizing.
We've shifted from a reactive approach to a long-term strategy. We have focused on building deeper relationships with voters through events centered on joy, such as our annual Imagine Black Gala, and have worked to turn community grief into political power.
Our work centers on leadership development, organizing, and democracy, moving from despair into action during and outside election cycles. And most importantly, we've centered joy and healing along the way with activations on our Black Possibilities app that have created a safer social space for Black Oregonians, offering free weekly virtual yoga and meditation classes — because Black liberation isn't solely about surviving injustice or even dismantling systems of oppression; it's about building something beautiful in its place.
Today, Imagine Black is doubling down on a vision that goes beyond slogans and cycles of outrage. We're fighting for reparative justice — not only to repair the harms of the past, but to dream up new systems centered on community care..
Most recently, I was invited to present at a meeting with the Portland City Council's Arts and Economy Committee and demanded an overhaul of tax increment financing or TIF, a state-authorized redevelopment and finance program designed to invest in infrastructure over people. This is the same program James Baldwin referred to as 'Negro removal.'
We need community development that is community-led and codified into law, not economic development that is merely a good-faith effort. We need budgets that reflect community priorities and work in action, not just for political clout and display.
Political systems need to be accountable to the people they serve, and Imagine Black is one of Oregon's leaders in ensuring this dream becomes a reality.
As we mark five years since Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and George Floyd's deaths, I offer this challenge to Portland and beyond: Do not treat this anniversary as a closed chapter. Do not remember the movement only in hashtags. Instead, ask what it would take to fulfill our promises to each other in 2020 — to build a city, a state and a country where Black people are free to live, dream, and lead.
Five years ago, we were in the streets together. Today, we stand at the threshold of dismantling the systems that have been built on oppression. Tomorrow, we must rise to create the world our ancestors dreamed of — a world where democracy isn't just a promise but a living, breathing reality. A world that centers care over punishment. A world where the bonds of community are unbreakable, stronger than the forces that seek to tear us apart.
I remain wholeheartedly committed to this vision. At Imagine Black, we are not interested in symbolic wins. We are building lasting power. And we invite you to join us.
