RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Sunday marks five years since the death of Fayetteville native George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired and charged with murder.
Floyd's death sparked a global movement leading to nationwide protests against police brutality and calls for reform.
ABC11's Lauren Johnson spoke with community members in the Triangle about the movement and how it's still impacting people five years later.
Dr. Ariel Seay-Howard is a professor at North Carolina State University, where her work is grounded in remembering racial violence. She reflected on the day the video of the arrest was released.
"I remember when seeing the video for the first time just feeling shocked, feeling pain, feeling hurt, confusion," Seay-Howard said.
Seay-Howard's student Nickey Ferrante was just as confused.
"I think ultimately, like, had that video not been taken, I think a lot of people in America might still have an ignorant mindset in regard to the issues within the policing system," Ferrante said.
Retired Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson also reflected on the officer's actions that day.
"I think it was unbelievable to see something like that happen before our eyes," Patterson said.
The moment in time turned into a worldwide movement. Floyd's final words, "I can't breathe," were captured on camera and sent the world into a racial reckoning.
"It gives you a new perspective on you know that we all walk a different step of life and not everyone has the same experience," Ferrante said.
Ferrante, who is in college now, was 17 years old in 2020. He said he's deeply grateful for the classes he's taken at NC State, taught by Dr. Seay-Howard.
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One lesson she shares with students "we've always had unfortunately, black people being killed by the hands of non-black people."
In this case, George Floyd died under the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
"It exposes everything in law enforcement in terms of how we restrain people, how you treat people, the blatant misuse of force," Patterson said about the video.
A force that changed the tide in our country in conversations.
"I think white people in our country need to hear that more than anyone, 'to be honest' when it comes to police brutality," said Ferrante.
Corporations have shifted their stance five years later.
"When it became DEI, I saw it as a trend, which, when we think about trends, trends always stop eventually," Seay-Howard said.
As for community policing, ABC11 asked Patterson how far we've come, five years later, when it comes to policing in America.
"I have to say I think we've made great strides," she said.
Patterson believes justice was served in the case and that law enforcement has changed course for the better.
"We're making progress in the right direction in terms of that, I don't know how far it will continue to go," she said.
The uncertainty is also a concern for Seay Howard.
"We have to at least come to conversations with an open mind, and I don't know if we're there yet," she said.
But Seay-Howard is doing her part, teaching hard lessons to students who might otherwise never know the truth. Ferrante knows it best, saying Seay-Howard cares about educating her students and making the world a better place, one student at a time.