We’ve all seen the images and remembered where we were.

A nation that was already dealing with the most divisive presidency in modern history while dealing with a global pandemic, watched in horror the sight of seeing yet another Black man murdered at the hands of police. While the Minneapolis police department attempted to downplay the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, once the video went viral, it was as clear as that fateful day. A knee on the neck of a man who didn’t deserve to die.

Now, one can argue that this gained greater attention due to the fact that everyone was home as a precaution from the virus, but either way, it was an inevitable volcano that was designed to erupt. We had already saw the murders of Ahmaud Aubrey in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Louisville at the hands of both white supremacists and police. When the Floyd murder became public for the world to see, the long overdue explosion of “Enough is Enough!” echoed throughout the streets. The time came for actual accountability on the levels that we had not seen when it came to similar murders of Philando Castille, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and sadly countless others. Yes, there was some levels of change in Ferguson, but it didn’t lead to overall police reform across the country.

Cries of “Defund the Police!” were heard at Black Lives Matter plaza in Washington, DC, much to the dismay of some elected officials and “Back the Blue” supporters who feigned ignorance and indifference to the plight of Black and Brown people. Protests not seen since the late 60’s and early 70’s filled the streets, challenging the status quo and demanding change. Although it led to Democrats in the House passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act last summer and again in March, it has stalled both times in the Senate. With moderate Democrats unwilling to change filibuster rules that would allow passage with just 50 votes, it is likely to languish unless a version of the legislation that can earn at least 10 Republican votes is agreed upon.

On a local level, the state of Virginia banned no-knock warrants, which was the culprit in the murder of Taylor. In addition, there have been declarations of racism as a public health crisis by organizations such as Voices for Virginia’s Children, and on a national level by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) along with Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA07) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA13) with the introduction of the Anti-Racism Public Health Act. Also, statues of Confederate leaders and other racist figures have come down, such as the Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, to the name change at two Manassas schools, and in the town of Dumfries, the name of Confederate Lane became Liberty Lane.

Unfortunately, however, those cosmetic changes only hid the fact that Prince William County continues to be divided. During one demonstration at the McCoart Building in July, protesters were unjustly arrested after two agitators confronted them. Even if that could’ve been resolved, the actions taken by the Board of County Supervisors at the end of the year demonstrated a lack of awareness, as they voted in former Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham on November 25. Newsham’s checkered past is well documented when it comes to dealing with race relations, yet it appeared to not matter to those who claimed to be listening to the voice of the community.

So, what have we learned in the past year?

We’ve learned that the fractions of this nation run deeper than ever before, and despite the best efforts of some elected officials to advocate for removing qualified immunity to addressing de-escalation procedures, we are a long way from resolving the stains of racism. Yet we’ve also learned that a new revolution has occurred, one that is led by young Black and Brown activists who are no longer content to wait on leaders that remain silent about police reform. Issues of social justice are on the forefront of everyone’s talking points more than ever before, and perhaps as more progressive minds are placed in positions of leadership, we will see a long overdue change.

While Chauvin was indicted on all accounts of murder, with the other three complicit officers awaiting their day in court, there are still police officers who walk the streets free. Until there is a rollback on qualified immunity and true accountability of police officers who commit such horrendous acts, we’ve learned that this nation is far from being a unified one.