When Anti-Racism Is Convenient: Are We Supporting the Cause or the Moment?

In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, millions of people around the world joined Black Lives Matter protests, shared resources, donated money, and flooded social media with messages demanding change. For a while, it felt like everyone was having conversations about racism and accountability. Companies released statements, influencers spoke out, and people who had never talked about racial injustice before suddenly found their voices.

But where did that energy go?

Today, those conversations don’t seem nearly as common. The hashtags aren’t trending every day, the black squares have disappeared from our feeds, and many of the people who once posted constantly about racial justice have gone quiet. That doesn’t mean the work has stopped or that people no longer care, but it does raise an important question: why does support seem strongest when the entire world is watching?

The same question applies to how we spend our money. During the height of the protests, many people made an effort to shop at Black-owned businesses and encourage others to do the same. For some, that commitment continued. For others, it faded once the national attention shifted. Supporting Black-owned businesses shouldn’t only happen during moments of crisis or because it’s trending online. It can be part of a long-term commitment to investing in communities and creating economic opportunities.

Being anti-racist isn’t about posting the perfect graphic or saying the right thing when everyone else is. It’s about what you do when no one is asking you to. It’s speaking up when a racist joke is made in the room, continuing to learn, supporting businesses and organizations you believe in, and standing for justice even when it’s no longer the most popular conversation.

Movements don’t lose their importance because they lose media attention. If anything, the real test of our commitment begins after the cameras leave. So maybe the question isn’t whether we supported racial justice in 2020. Maybe it’s whether we’re still showing up today.