Peter Boulware: George Floyd killing creates overdue moment for change in America

A protester looks up at a sign that reads "Black Lives Matter" in Marseille, southern France, during a protest against the recent death of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter has gone mainstream — and black activists are carefully assessing how they should respond. Image via AP.

Anger, frustration, and absolute grief flooded me as I watched the death of George Floyd unfold. The horror of that death is still reverberating throughout America.

These tragedies are happening so often in this country that it’s become too common to ignore any longer. The long-heard plea from Black Americans to address these issues was largely ignored, until now. Previously, after one of these tragedies, protests and calls for overdue reform generated a few days of news coverage, and nothing more.

Nothing ever changed.

Then, Floyd was murdered on the street — right before the eyes of the nation, repeatedly viewed, with the horror only intensifying by Americans witnessing the unprovoked brutality that went on for excruciating minutes. This time it felt different.

This time I felt different.

Black people have had enough. This country has had enough. We cannot move forward until we make significant changes. Changes in the way we see each other. Changes in the way we treat one another. Changes in our mindsets and what we think we know about one another.

Talk isn’t enough. Protests aren’t enough. We have to make positive, practical changes.

It’s not just going to get better on its own. That’s a deception that too many of us have bought into in the past. I’ve done a lot of thinking lately. I’ve asked myself: “What can I do? How can I help our community?”

This week, I heard a pastor say that silently disagreeing is not enough anymore. It’s not enough to be “non-racist.” We have to all speak out and be “anti-racist.”

We each have to do something in our respective spheres of influence. We all have a sphere of influence. Maybe you’re a mom at home with young children. Those children are your sphere of influence. If you’re a teacher, that class is your sphere of influence. For people in workplaces, that is your sphere of influence.

This is my sphere of influence.

I am a retired NFL player and the owner of Legacy Toyota in Tallahassee. Through my experience in the automotive world, I have discovered that Black men and women are almost completely shut out when it comes to owning dealerships.

I’m the exception to the rule — one of the 2.2% who have pushed our way through a broken system to the level of ownership. A face that makes you think change has come to America — but it has not come enough.

This is not just in the car business but in all areas of corporate America.

I know something about playing fields, and I know this one must be leveled. This must be addressed immediately.

Leveling the odds and moving this mountain may seem like an insurmountable task, but we can take it — together — one day, one meeting, and one conversation at a time.

I’m hopeful my efforts will produce meaningful change in the automotive world. But let’s all do our part to level the playing field in business, academics, sports, government. community.

We must demand change and do our small part to make it happen.

We may have a long journey ahead of us. But as the Chinese proverb says, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. If we start today and do our part now, one step at a time, we can affect change.

This is our moment as a community, a state, and a nation. I’m excited about what the future holds for America. We can honor George Floyd best, and all others who have tragically died in similar tragedies, by making this the time of change. From this evil, let us work together to create good.

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Peter Boulware, a former FSU All American football player and a nine-year veteran of the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens, is the owner of Legacy Toyota in Tallahassee. He may be reached at [email protected].