The impact of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder has new meaning 5 years later

Ahmaud Arbery should still be alive, but instead, hundreds gathered in Atlanta on Sunday (Feb. 23) to remember the young man who was murdered in 2020 after being cornered by three white men while on a jog. The fifth anniversary of the tragedy that unfolded in Brunswick, Georgia, was marked with the annual “Run with Maud” race on the Beltline, a trail connecting parts of the city, hosted by the namesake foundation that his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, launched in his honor.

Several running clubs and participants gathered from around the metro for the 2.3-mile path. For many of them, it is proof that his life continues to have meaning. “We need to work harder and love harder for equality, and not resort to bigotry and hate,” said national running group Black Men Run co-founder Edward Walton to the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We will make sure [Arbery’s] inadvertent sacrifice will not be forgotten,” he added.

For others, like Movers and Pacers member Shannon Booker, joining the annual memorial is a reminder that “people should be able to run without the fear of being shot, killed or hurt.” Cooper-Jones holds a different sentiment about the day. She told the publication that on Feb. 23, 2020, when her son left for a jog, he “anticipated on returning home to finish his laundry,” but “he never returned.”

Video of Arbery running and then being confronted by father-son duo Gregory and Travis McMichael, and their friend William “Roddie” Bryan, surfaced that May. The Black man had been pursued by the armed individuals who claimed they were attempting a citizen's arrest after noticing the jogger entered a house that was under construction. During the fatal encounter, the beloved son could be observed tussling with Travis when he was wounded by a shotgun.

By June 2020, the three suspects were indicted on charges that included malice and felony murder, false imprisonment and aggravated assault. They were charged for kidnapping and a hate crime in April 2021, and in 2022, the father and son were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the killing, and Bryan was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

On social media, the five-year anniversary moved Louisiana Rep. Troy A. Carter to tweet, in part, “Let’s recommit to fighting hatred and discrimination wherever and whenever we see it.” Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs commented that, “Since that tragic day, his killers have been convicted, and legislative changes — such as the repeal of Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law — have been made in his name. But true justice is not just about convictions; it’s about dismantling the systems that allowed his murder to happen in the first place.” A third person joylessly typed, “I used to say, until people see us like they see themselves, they [will] continue to have no regard for us. I now say that unless people see us, they will continue to dishonor our existence.”

Here at REVOLT, Ahmaud Arbery’s name continues to be lifted, and his life honored in the continued pursuit of justice for those targeted by systemic inequality.