May 25 marks five years since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, igniting a global reckoning with the truth about anti-Black racism, particularly in the United States but also in Canada and far beyond our collective borders. In the days that followed, corporations and institutions around the world rushed to express solidarity. Statements were issued, and the smallest to the largest entities publicly committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in ways they never had before.
And for a moment, it felt like something fundamental had shifted.
But moments pass. And for too many, so did the momentum.
Since then, we have seen a troubling backslide. EDI programs have been defunded, anti-racism policies overturned, and efforts toward reconciliation politicized. In some jurisdictions, equity itself is under attack, reframed as a threat rather than a path to shared prosperity. In this climate, those working toward fairness are too often scapegoated for structural problems they did not create.
As a Black person, this death was particularly troubling, frightening, and far too close for comfort. But the global response gave me a rare feeling of hope. Hope that maybe this time, things would truly change. That hope has not waned, though in honesty, my concern has grown.
In regulation, I have long believed that if an organization has the privilege to protect the public, then it must reflect the public it has been privileged to protect. This lens of diversity is not symbolic. It leads to better regulation. It strengthens decision-making, professional standards, and the trust we build with both registrants and the public. The same is true for every institution with a public mission.
Diversity is not an initiative. It is a reality. It cannot be undone by legislation or ignored by leadership. When organizations reflect, understand, and engage with the full diversity of the communities they serve, they perform better ethically, economically, and socially.
This five-year anniversary should not serve only as a memorial to one life lost. While May 25 commemorates the passing of George Floyd, I remember the many other lives lost to hatred, violence, and systemic injustice across communities, identities, and nations. Their stories should also compel us not to retreat but to respond.
Each of their stories is a call to recommit and to truly understand the rationale and meaning of inclusion and to move toward sustained, purposeful action. It is a call to design organizations and societies that work for all of us.
This is also why meaningful public engagement matters. When inequities are not the result of overt discrimination but stem from long-standing assumptions or systemic gaps, public engagement becomes one of the most critical tools available. It allows us to move beyond guesswork and generalizations. It creates space for people to share their lived experiences, express their needs, and describe their realities. In doing so, it provides the clarity, empathy, and truth needed to respond with purpose.
Our commitment to remembering Mr. Floyd is to take decisive, meaningful, and measurable action. We are increasing training programs in equity, diversity, and inclusion for regulatory bodies, non-profits, and public sector organizations, and partnering with those that are forging ahead with purpose and clarity. We are especially proud to be working with a client that is developing a Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) framework that outlines fundamental principles and action items to guide the organization’s governance, operations, and regulatory responsibilities. It is our hope that this work, and others like it, will contribute in a small but important way to the broader movement for lasting social impact.
George Floyd’s death sparked a global awakening. That moment called on all of us to see clearly and to act boldly. The work ahead remains urgent, but not impossible. We still have the opportunity to turn reckoning into responsibility, and responsibility into lasting change. Let this anniversary remind us not just of what was lost, but of what we still stand to gain: stronger institutions, more just communities, and a shared future built on a commitment to live with meaning, purpose, and mutual respect.
We do not need to wait for another moment to move us. We can move forward now, with intention, together. Be that movement.
