The George Floyd Effect Is Over
By: Corey B. King
Tags: George Floyd, White Privilege, Donald Trump, Election 2020, White Supremacy

The George Floyd Effect Is Over

Watching the videotaped lynching of George Floyd on Memorial Day is probably one of the most difficult things that I have viewed in my whole 44 years of life. Eight minutes, forty-six seconds as Derek Chauvin placed not only his knee, but the whole weight of his body on George Floyd’s neck, as Mr. Floyd begged and pleaded for his life and called out for his dead mother. No matter your color, gender, age, or economic background, nobody can look at that video and not be moved in some way.

To prove this, for weeks after George Floyd’s death, there were marches consisting of various ethnic backgrounds; there were black lives matter murals painted in major cities around the country; Hollywood became more liberal in funding Black centered projects, Corporate America became more liberal in hiring Black women and men , in addition to the regular affirmative action hires. White folks made a real intentional effort to atone for the white supremacy, police brutality, and the overall tone deafness, due to their immense white privilege.

But just as the woman beating husband, who makes the proclamation that his next time will always be the last time, this sudden allyship and racial solidarity were a temporary fix to an even bigger problem. On Aug 11, 2020, Joe Biden made the announcement that Kamala Harris was his running mate, and once again, America was reminded that racial solidarity was not only temporary, but conditional. There were those who were insistent that he choose a white woman , even though they had the choice to elect a white woman to the highest office, four years prior, these individuals, mainly white women, began to express their discontent by either ridiculing Kamala and her resume, or just saying subliminal racist stuff like attacking how joyful she was, as if that was synonymous with a lack of seriousness or fitness for the job.

Then November 3, 2020, Election Day came. I just knew considering Trump’s ineptness in handling COVID-19, a failing economy where over 40 million people were left unemployed and the overt racism that had become synonymous with his administration, the election would be called that same night, and by landslide proportions. There were even political commentators who predicted that Trump’s Electoral College votes would be somewhere in the low 100’s. But here we are more than three weeks after the election , Trump still has frivolous lawsuits going in most major courts; Emily Murphy, the transition coordinator, is refusing to release funds for the Joe Biden transition, and Americans, who are unaware of basic civics, are so preoccupied that somehow Trump will steal the election. But you want to know the most gross thing from this whole situation , independent of Trump himself? It is the fact that despite being the most inept, evil, and downright racist person to ever hold the office, Trump secured almost eleven million more votes and still maintained over 50% of the overall white vote. What does that tell me? It tells me that the George Floyd effect is over. The racial solidarity, the marching, the mural painting, and the performance allyship from less than six months ago was bullshit. In Amerikkka, one of the most egregious things is to be called or perceived to be racist. This is a greater offense of sensibilities than being racist.

I am not by any means naïve. I knew that the reactions to George Floyd’s senseless murder were not about racial solidarity, or a willingness for change, it was about pacifying Black folks, to go back to business as usual. How do I know? Because over half of you went into that voting booth and mailed in ballots to maintain white supremacy. How do I know? Because despite the brutal murder of George Floyd, the Justice in Policing Act passed by Democrats, still has not been signed into law. How do I know? Because all four officers who were involved in George Floyd’s murder are out on bail, when Kalief Browder spent over three years in Rikers for the suspected theft of a backpack. Imagine living in a country where a backpack is more important than a Black person’s life.

So, miss me with your marching, your murals, your Black Lives Matter chanting; your votes told me everything I needed to know about your race, and this country. So, forget racial solidarity, unity, coming together, and all these happy buzzwords you use to keep Black folks in line.