Five Years After George Floyd: Turning Pain Into Power Through Black-Owned Business
- Phillip W Dunn
- May 23
- 3 min read
On May 25, 2020, the world watched in collective grief and outrage as George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on the streets of Minneapolis. His final words — “I can’t breathe” — pierced the conscience of a nation and became a rallying cry heard around the world.
Now, five years later, we pause to remember not just George Floyd’s life, but the spark his death ignited — a renewed demand for justice, accountability, and structural change.
But we must also confront a difficult truth: in many ways, not enough has changed.
🖤 Grief Without Action is a Cycle. Action With Purpose is a Movement.
In the weeks that followed George Floyd’s death, the response was immediate and loud. Corporations pledged billions to racial equity. CEOs issued statements acknowledging systemic racism. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) became buzzwords overnight.
But when the headlines faded, so did many of those commitments.
Reports now show that a significant number of those same companies:
Rolled back DEI initiatives quietly
Closed supplier diversity programs
Failed to deliver on funding promises to Black-led nonprofits and businesses
Discontinued partnerships with Black creators and vendors without transparency
The promise of racial and economic justice was treated like a PR campaign — not a moral imperative.
💼 How the Black Business Focus Group Carries the Torch
At The Black Business Focus Group, our mission has never been a trend.We were here before the hashtags. We’ll be here after the headlines.
We believe that economic justice is a civil right, and that supporting Black-Owned Businesses is one of the most direct and sustainable ways to shift power and protect our communities.
Over the past five years, we’ve:
Built a digital platform to connect conscious consumers with Black-Owned Businesses
Created a thriving online community that celebrates Black excellence and cultural pride
Launched campaigns tied to Juneteenth, financial literacy, and economic justice
Highlighted Black entrepreneurs whose brilliance is often overlooked by mainstream systems
Promoted consistent, everyday action — because real change starts with real dollars
✊🏾 Economic Resistance Is Still Resistance
When we say “Group Economics is the New Civil Rights Movement”, we mean it.
Just like voting rights and fair housing, economic access is a battlefield — and our dollars are a form of protest, power, and protection.
Every time you:
Buy from a Black-owned brand
Hire a Black contractor
Refer a Black-owned service
Wear apparel from a Black designer
…you are resisting systems that profit from our pain but ignore our potential.
💬 What Can You Do Now?
✅ Support Black-Owned Businesses — not just in moments of crisis
✅ Hold corporations accountable — and invest in community-based solutions
✅ Circulate your dollars with intention and cultural pride
✅ Wear what you stand for — including our “Absolute Equality” Juneteenth collection
✅ Teach the next generation that freedom includes financial independence
🕊️ In Memory. In Movement. In Mission.
We honor George Floyd. We honor Breonna Taylor. We honor Tyre Nichols, Atatiana Jefferson, Sandra Bland and so many others whose lives were stolen.
But we also honor the living — the Black business owners, parents, educators, artists, and everyday heroes who keep pushing forward.
Let this five-year mark not just be a remembrance — but a recommitment.
Because freedom isn’t just about marching in the streets.It’s about owning the land beneath our feet.
Join us. Buy Black. Build Black. Believe in Black.
– The Black Business Focus Group
Phillip W. Dunn, Founder
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