Four years after the explosive Black Lives Matter protests sparked by George Floyd's murder, it's tempting to feel disillusioned—like nothing really changed. But writer Jason Okundaye argues there are glimmers of progress, pointing to symbolic victories like the toppling of slaver Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol. While systemic racism persists, he finds hope in the sustained energy of local activism and the unignorable cultural shift the movement forced into public consciousness.

Editor’s Note: This isn’t just a "look back at 2020" think piece—it’s a reality check. The BLM movement didn’t magically fix racism, but dismissing it as a failure ignores tangible wins, from toppled statues to sharper scrutiny of police violence. Okundaye’s perspective matters because it counters the burnout many feel, reminding us that change is messy, slow, and often quieter than headlines suggest.