People from all over the Twin Cities joined with George Floyd Global Memorial and celebrated what would have been Floyd’s 48th birthday on October 14 at George Floyd Square (GFS). GFS has served as a memorial and reminder of the police brutality that took place there.
The celebration included drum corps, local rappers, a community brass band and a gospel choir. The food was more than fit for the occasion, and attendees raved about the entrees provided with the help of Michael Smith of Community Needs Community. The menu included chicken curry, goat curry, jerk chicken, rice and beans, collard greens, and celebratory cupcakes.
“We wanted to remember his life and wanted to commemorate the birthday of the George Floyd Global Memorial,” said Jeanelle Austin, executive director of the George Floyd Memorial. “We wanted to highlight the fact that the community helped us conserve and preserve the stories of racial injustice through offerings at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.
“His life was stolen,” Austin said. “The hope is that his memory will push us to pursue justice. Unfortunately, more people have died since his murder, but we have to keep the memory of their stories alive so we slow the repetition of history.”
Tens of thousands have visited the site from all over the U.S. and the world to see the place where former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin snuffed out Floyd’s life. The murder has made this city a modern-day symbol of “man’s inhumanity to man” as well as a focal point for the problem of police violence.
Local journalist KingDemetrius Pendleton, reflecting on the day, wrote on his Facebook page that Floyd’s daughter said her daddy “changed the world” but asked, “Will the world ever change?”
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