GEORGE FLOYD PROTESTS – A HISTORICAL TURNING POINT

The George Floyd protests began on May 26, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Floyd repeatedly stated he could not breathe while bystanders pleaded for intervention. His death, captured on video, sparked national and international protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

The movement rapidly spread across the U.S. and over 60 countries, with an estimated 15 to 26 million people participating, making it the largest protest movement in U.S. history. While the majority of demonstrations were peaceful, some cities saw instances of rioting, looting, and confrontations with law enforcement.

A significant aspect of these protests was the diverse racial participation, with large numbers of white Americans standing alongside Black and other marginalized communities to demand justice—an unprecedented level of cross-racial allyship in civil rights activism.  The protests sparked a global conversation on racial justice, resulting in legislative reforms, police accountability measures, and societal change, while also reshaping the dialogue on race, policing, and activism in the modern era.

 

Must answer all questions correctly:

1. What street intersection in Minneapolis became a memorial and gathering site known as “George Floyd Square”?
2. In response to the George Floyd incident, RAM hosted a company-wide Unconscious Bias webinar focused on advancing the understanding of equity and inclusion across race, gender, ability, and other areas of diversity. Which RAM initiative ultimately emerged from these efforts?

 

See last week’s answers here.

THE FOUNDING OF THE NAACP

One of the most well-known stories of Black and White unity is the founding of the NAACP. Established in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was co-founded by Black leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells along with White allies like Mary White Ovington and Moorfield Storey to fight racial injustice.

Among its many contributions, the NAACP played a key role in sparking the Civil Rights Movement. In 1955, NAACP member Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, an act of defiance that ignited the Montgomery bus boycott. This landmark protest not only highlighted systemic racism but also elevated fellow NAACP member, Martin Luther King Jr.  to national prominence, cementing his place as a leader in the struggle for equality. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, made up of Black and White lawyers and scholars, played a pivotal role in litigating Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

 

Must answer all questions correctly:

1. Who was the White American Lawyer and Civil Rights Leader who served as the president of the NAACP from its founding in 1909 until his death in 1929.
2. What modern-day annual awards ceremony honors the outstanding achievements of Black entertainers in film, television, music and literature.
3. Which former NAACP Legal Defense Fund member later became a U.S. Supreme Court Justice?