Six years later, George Floyd’s memory stands strong at 38th and Chicago

Yellow roses were laid one by one at the place where George Floyd took his last breath six years ago. Family members, activists, and community leaders gathered at the memorial site at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, each stepping forward to place a flower, pause, and remember.

Among them was Floyd’s girlfriend, who knelt at the memorial, laid down a yellow rose, kissed her hand, and pressed it gently on top.

Six years have passed since former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd on May 25, 2020, sparking one of the largest protest movements in world history. Much of the country has moved on. But at 38th and Chicago, the memorial still stands. The keepers of the site have fought the city repeatedly to preserve it, insisting that it remain as a reminder of what happened here, and of what continues to happen to Black people at the hands of police across Minneapolis, across Minnesota, and across the country.

The day began with the Day of Remembrance Brunch, hosted by the organization Win Back. Approximately 200 people gathered to honor community members and invest in the next generation of leaders. The event featured discussion about the events of 2020 and the work that still lies ahead.

Two recipients of the 2025 Economic Development and Advocacy Fellowship, Myleeyah Holbrook and Jade Hill, spoke about how the scholarships they received have shaped their paths since. The message from organizers was clear: remembering George Floyd means more than ceremony. It means investment.

“You guys are a big corporation. You guys have an influence. Come with us when we’re trying to pass laws. Because if they won’t listen to us, maybe they’ll listen to y’all. Because one thing that people in higher places respect is money,” said community advocate Brandon Williams, one of three panelists at the brunch.

Williams was joined on the panel by actor, singer, and songwriter Tristan Wilds and Deborah Watts, cousin of Emmett Till and co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. The panel was moderated by Leslie Redmond, community activist and executive director of Win Back.

The Spokesman-Recorder sat down with Redmond to discuss the day’s events and the enduring legacy of George Floyd.

“The legacy is that when we don’t remember, we repeat,” Redmond said. “For too long, people wanted to forget about what happened with George Floyd. That’s one of the reasons why I started doing the Day of Remembrance… because we were right here in Minnesota and people were sweeping it underneath the rug like, let’s not talk about it anymore. And that’s a problem for me.”

She drew a direct line from Floyd’s death to more recent losses. “Even Renee Nicole Good. Alex Freddie, that just happened a couple months ago and we barely even talk about it. And if we don’t remember, we will keep repeating the cycles.”

Redmond pointed to the tenth anniversary of Philando Castile’s death approaching this summer as another reminder of how little has changed. “It keeps happening over and over again, and we can never go backwards. What George Floyd did was lift the veil. He opened up the eyes of the world to what was right in front of us. And we can never unsee that.”

Asked about the satisfactions and disappointments of the past six years, Redmond was direct. “The satisfaction was the community joining forces, banding together, our collective healing, our mutual aid, us fighting the good fight,” she said. “The disappointments are some of our political figures, corporations not keeping their promises, comedians making jokes six years later, people not really understanding that Black people’s pain is not a joke.”

On where the community stands today, Redmond said the pushback itself is evidence of how powerful the movement was. “I think we’re in a phase where there’s been a lot of pushback, which means it was powerful enough to get pushback,” she said. “In addition to that, I think it’s a time to reimagine, to strategize, and to figure out some offensive plans… because we see a lot that we’re always on the defense.”

What does the community need most? “Investment,” Redmond said without hesitation. “The young people need to be invested in. The elders need to be invested in. And it’s not just a money investment, it’s a time investment.”

As family and community members left the memorial, the site remained as it has for six years; with flowers, photos, and a promise that this corner of Minneapolis will not let the world forget. The commemoration continues through Memorial Day weekend, with the solemn anniversary of Floyd’s death falling on Monday, May 25.

For more information on Win Back, visit www.winbacknonprofit.com/.

Chris Juhn is contributing writer and freelance photographer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.