Event Recap | Five Years Later: Reflecting on the Legacy of George Floyd

It has been five years since the murder of George Floyd shocked the conscience of a nation. In the wake of that tragedy, millions took to the streets, calling for an end to police brutality, systemic racism, and state-sanctioned violence. On the anniversary of this pivotal moment, MassINC, in partnership with GBH, hosted a virtual event to reflect not just on what happened, but where we are now.

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Key Takeaways

The legacy of George Floyd and systemic racism

The discussion opened with a sobering acknowledgment: George Floyd’s death was part of a historical pattern of injustice. Karen Groce-Horan remembered organizing a rally in the days following Floyd’s murder, where over 3,000 residents of Milton and Mattapan lined a parkway in solidarity. “We had to mark the occasion,” she said. “We can’t let that history be erased.”

For Groce-Horan and many others, the murder of George Floyd in 2020 wasn’t just a moment of reckoning, it was a national turning point. But five years later, she fears that progress is slipping. The rise of anti-DEI sentiment, political backlash, and racial erasure remind her that justice requires constant vigilance. “It’s troubling,” she said. “We’re seeing steps backward in so many places.”

Police reform and community engagement

One of the most powerful voices on the panel came from within law enforcement itself. Sergeant David Hernandez, a 10-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, shared a deeply personal story from his youth. As a teenager, he watched in horror as police officers grabbed his father by the neck in their driveway, falsely accusing him of carrying drugs. Hernandez, then a young boy, tried to intervene only to be dismissed by an officer.

That moment, he said, was life-altering. Rather than turning away from policing, it pushed him to join and change it from within. “Even now,” he shared, “when I get pulled over and I’m not in uniform, I still feel fear. That doesn’t go away just because I wear a badge.”

Today, Hernandez leads LLEGO, a group of Latino officers focused on improving community relations and ensuring accountability. Following Floyd’s death, LLEGO created a “Step Up and Step In” pledge, reaffirming officers’ responsibility to intervene when witnessing misconduct. “What happened in Minneapolis should never have happened,” Hernandez said. “There were other officers who could have stopped it, but they didn’t.”

Civic Engagement as a form of Resistance: The Power of the Vote

For Ron Bell, the response to injustice has always been rooted in community organizing and voter empowerment. He founded Dunk the Vote over 30 years ago after another racially charged incident—the 1989 Charles Stuart case, in which a white man falsely blamed a Black man for murdering his wife, sparking a police dragnet across Boston’s Black neighborhoods.

Bell’s strategy was simple but powerful: mobilize the community, one voter at a time. Since then, Dunk the Vote has registered over 100,000 voters across Massachusetts. At the rally marking the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s murder, Bell handed out “Black Books”—a pocket guide to civil rights, voting access, and strategies for civic participation. “We need to stop asking for permission to be human,” he said. “Voting is a way we protect our humanity.”

Dialogue, Healing, and the Work Ahead

Throughout the discussion, panelists returned to a central theme: change begins with conversation. From community rallies to interfaith gatherings, from police training to civil rights education, the work of justice is relational.

Groce-Horan emphasized the need for continued cross-community dialogue particularly between urban and suburban populations. “The relationship between Black and blue, Black and white, needs healing,” she said. “And that begins with listening.”

Sergeant Hernandez echoed that sentiment. “It’s about love,” he said. “It’s about dignity. You can uphold the law without stripping someone of their humanity.”

And Bell added, “We have to forgive. We have to reflect. And we have to keep pushing forward.”

Final Words

As the panel neared its close, the tone turned practical. What can people do now—five years on?

• Educate yourself. Read materials like the Black Book, which outlines your rights during police encounters and offers civic guidance.
• Use your voice. Speak out against injustice, in your community, your workplace, and your voting booth.
• Start a conversation. Whether with a neighbor, a police officer, or a city official—dialogue is the seed of change.
• Support reform from inside and outside the system. Activists and reform-minded officers both have a role to play.

Five years after George Floyd’s murder, the struggle for justice is far from over. But this conversation rooted in truth, compassion, and community offered something both sobering and hopeful: a reminder that while we cannot undo the past, we can shape the future. “Silence is not an option,” Groce-Horan reminded the audience. “Complacency cannot be our legacy.

Resources

• Dunk the Vote’s Black Book is a vital resource for civil rights and community empowerment.

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