On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a Black man, pleaded for his life as he lay pinned under the knee of then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. For 9 minutes and 29 seconds, George’s life was slowly extinguished while witnesses begged for mercy, and a teenage Black girl captured the brutal killing on video. It went viral. “I can’t breathe,” he pleaded, gasping for air.

With his final words, he called for his late mother.
The stark cruelty, arrogance and barbarity of taking someone’s life in broad daylight in front of witnesses sparked protests across the globe and thousands took to U.S. streets condemning what their eyes had seen.
Promises of police reform, greater resources for Black people and pledges from politicians, White corporations and institutions flooded in. Diversity, equity and inclusion were the watchwords of the day. For a while, money flowed in, too.
Those things and those attitudes are gone. President Donald Trump is preaching a gospel of White grievance and vengeance for White suffering, smashing any thought, any approach, any hope that racial diversity or racial identity might even be mentioned, unless it is White identity.
“Five years later of George Floyd being lynched in the streets of Minneapolis, and six years later of Elijah McClain being lynched in the city of Aurora, I think one of the resounding questions that I tend to ask myself in this season is where did all the good allies go?”
asked MiDian Shofner, a Denver-based activist. “We have watched individuals that wanted to stand in solidarity, all of a sudden proved to us that that was a trend. It was not a transformation.”

As we remember George Floyd, Elijah McClain, and countless others, we must confront the reality that true integration has never been achieved, she argued. And she added: performative allyship must end and reparations must be viewed as a long-term solution, not a temporary fix.
The trials of officers involved in cases of police brutality are stacked against Black victims and convictions are rare. The case of Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of George Floyd’s murder, is an exception.
The intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in South Minneapolis, where George’s life was taken, remains a gathering place to honor and remember him.
Darnella Frazier, a courageous high school student, recorded the harrowing video of George’s murder. Her footage played a crucial role in the Chauvin trial and exposed a tragedy that ignited international protests. Her bravery was rewarded with an honorary Pulitzer Prize. She still struggles with what she saw, as does her young cousin, who was with her.
In the aftermath of George’s killing, four Minneapolis police officers were convicted on state and federal charges. Chauvin received a state sentence of 22.5 years and a concurrent federal sentence of 21 years.
The other officers involved, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, were also convicted and received varying sentences for their roles in the incident.
Lane was found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter and federal civil rights violations. He was sentenced to three years in state prison and 2.5 years in federal prison.
Kueng and Thao were sentenced in federal court for violating George’s civil rights. Kueng received a three-year sentence, while Thao was sentenced to 3.5 years. Their convictions reflect their failure to intervene during the incident.
MiDian reminds us that the struggle continues. She cites the 2025 death of Jalin Seabron, a 23-year-old Black man killed by a White deputy in Douglas County, Colorado. Jalin was legally carrying a firearm, holding it at his side, protecting his pregnant girlfriend after an altercation broke out in an arcade bar.
He was shot nine times, several in his back, within seconds of the deputy’s arrival, without any order to drop the weapon, she continued. His death, much like Floyd’s, is a stark reminder of the fragility of Black life in this country.
“We never saw integration. We only saw desegregation, which again was a White man’s answer to a problem,” said MiDian. “So right in our face, they were telling us that you will never see integration. They didn’t even want to call it that.
They just went with desegregation. And so, the unintended consequences there were we thought that we were headed in a direction of progress, only for our Black doctors, our Black teachers, our Black lawyers, our Black judges to be stripped of their position and replaced with White people.
And then the Black community is now coming to be under their authority. But we might be in a space where segregation truly means separation. And that might equate to safety.”
The activist, wife and mother said “segregation,” once considered a relic of the past, may be the solution if Whites will not yield power. Blacks have capital, innovation, educational and high-lev
el business experiences, and business licenses now in their possession, she notes.
The call for “segregation,” once seen as a step backward, may now be the key to our safety and prosperity, she said. It is time for us to embrace our power, support one another, and build a future where we can thrive independently, she argued.
This country, which has thrived on the contributions of Black individuals, lacks culture, happiness, and joy without us, MiDian continued. “It is time for us to take care of ourselves, flaws and all, and hold the tension within our own community.”
Many are questioning what’s next. The efforts of activists like Tamika Mallory, who tirelessly fought for justice in Louisville following the senseless 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor, have highlighted the need for a new approach. Despite dedication, the response of city officials was dismissive and hostile, leaving many disillusioned and searching for alternatives.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s teachings on separation resonate deeply in this context: it is the best and only solution for Black people. Separation, unlike integration, involves two equals deciding to end their relationship.
It is a conscious choice to break free from a system that has never integrated us. Chicago remains one of the most racially divided cities in America, with residential patterns that favor White communities and maintain their resources.
The racial division ties into schools, where property taxes fund better education for White children, helping to perpetuate a cycle of racial inequality. The major civil rights legislation of 1965 and the subsequent affirmative action policies were mild remedies that failed to solve the race problem.
The fight for integration has shown us that living with Caucasian people does not work. The hope for change, once symbolized by marches and protests, is fading as the reality of pernicious racism becomes undeniable.
The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad called for a separate state or territory where the descendants of those who suffered from American slavery could build their own reality with support for 20 to 25 years until we were able to go for self fully.
As we reflect on our history and the ongoing struggle for a full and complete freedom, it is clear that the path forward lies in taking control of our destiny.
Naba’a Muhammad, editor-in-chief of The Final Call newspaper, can be reached via www.finalcall.com and [email protected]. Find him on Facebook. Follow @RMfinalcall on X and Instagram.