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Five Years After George Floyd: Will Corporate America Stand Up or Stand Down?

May 25, 2025

Five years ago today, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight. The video was raw. The pain was global. And for a moment, the world stopped. Companies issued statements. Leaders made commitments. DEI roles were created. Pledges were signed. It felt - for the first time to many - that business might finally align itself with justice. That the private sector might lead where others had long failed.

But five years later, that moment of reckoning feels like a distant echo.

Over the past 125 days alone, we've watched as executive orders have been signed in an attempt to limit equity efforts under the guise of neutrality. Just a few days ago the newly launched DOJ's Civil Rights Fraud Initiative was launched - intended to weaponize the very principles it claims to protect. And we've seen the overreach of federal agencies like the FCC condition merger approvals on companies disavowing DEI—economic blackmail in plain sight.

Let's be clear: this is not just a regression. It's a reaction. A backlash to the very progress we have celebrated.

What became uncomfortable was not the idea of equity, but the sharing of power that equity requires. Redesigning for shared power means rejecting the myth that leadership is a zero-sum game.

We should not confuse this attack with proof that DEI didn't work. It did. It worked and triggered a well-organized campaign to dismantle it. Because when the truth threatens power, power pushes back.

And while some companies that once proclaimed their commitment to equity have attempted to reverse course, the impact of the pocketbook is speaking loudly at the register. Billions of dollars are being won and lost with DEI. The misrepresentation of the practices as "divisive" is an attempt to reduce them to an issue of race and gender, when in fact they are transformational across every area of business.

Some organizations pretend the moment never happened. Others claim it was a distraction from the "real" business of business. But either way, a response to the politics of the moment is not a long term business strategy.

And so, amid the noise, something else is happening. A quieter truth is emerging—one backed by data, not ideology. At Project FORWARD, we've tracked the latest round of shareholder votes, and the results are clear: anti-DEI proposals are being overwhelmingly rejected. Not narrowly—decisively. The smartest companies aren't pulling back. They're moving forward with more discipline, sharper tools, and clearer language. Because they understand: inclusion isn't a social favor. It's a competitive advantage.

So where does that leave us?

It leaves us at a moral and strategic crossroads. The question is no longer whether DEI matters. The question is whether today's leaders have the courage to act on what they know is right—even when it's not easy.

This is not a time to be palatable. It's a time for radical integrity. Companies must prevail with institutional autonomy-protecting the liberties of their employees and serving their communities.

History does not look kindly on those who stood down during moments of crisis. And let's be honest: it's easy to be a leader when the crowd is cheering. It's harder when the spotlight fades and the pressure mounts. But that's when true leadership shows up. Because the future won't be shaped by the loudest—it will be shaped by the bravest.

If you made a commitment in 2020, now is the time to ask yourself: Was it a moment of PR—or a marker of principle?

Five years later, the stakes are no longer symbolic. They are systemic.

The arc of justice does not bend on its own. It bends when we pull. With intention, with clarity, with resolve.

Nelson Mandela's African name, Rolihlahla, translates to "the one who shakes the tree." This name, given at birth, became a prophecy for a man who spent his life challenging the status quo.

George Floyd should still be alive. And while we can't undo the past, we can choose how we respond to it. Not just in tribute—but in action.

So to every CEO, every board, every brand that once said Black Lives Matter: Show us. Shake the tree.

Not with a statement. With strategy. With resolve. Forward. With Courage.