The legacy of George Floyd

Brut America

"George Floyd's death humanized the Black man in not only America, but around the world."  On the anniversary of his murder, many are reflecting on George Floyd's legacy.

Transcript

00:00George Floyd's death changed the world.

00:03We witnessed and we're currently experiencing

00:05the biggest civil rights movement of all time.

00:08I feel like he's telling me he's proud of me.

00:10Because I'm not going to hold back.

00:12I'm going to fight for his name.

00:13I'm going to fight for his legacy.

00:30Everybody was sitting there watching us.

00:39So you couldn't pull no wool, you couldn't hide this from us.

00:45We saw it. Everybody saw it.

00:47George Floyd's death humanized the black man

00:50in not only America, but around the world.

00:53People saw him dying.

00:54People saw the last nine minutes of his life

00:57and it cannot be ignored.

00:59And once America pulled the curtain,

01:01which it chose to stand behind,

01:03we're starting to get tangible things.

01:05We've seen laws passed.

01:07And why laws are so important,

01:08because nothing happens for marginalized people

01:11unless there's legislation and change in place.

01:29George Floyd!

01:30What's his name?

01:31George Floyd!

01:32It thrusted us into the limelight, you know,

01:36but it was meant to be.

01:38Like I said, everything happens for a reason.

01:40Some of us wanted to stay quiet, but we can't.

01:44You know what I mean?

01:44Because now we got to let this voice that we have be heard.

01:52Anyone who truly understands the plight of the black community

01:56understands that poverty is the effect of all things.

02:01Yes, police brutality, it gets the most headlines,

02:03it's the most visible,

02:05and it does put us in immediate danger.

02:07But when we talk about environmental injustice,

02:09when we talk about the healthcare system,

02:11when we talk about places that have the highest murder rates,

02:14having the highest rates of unemployment,

02:17I think that George Floyd's murder

02:19was just the tip of the iceberg

02:21for the true revolution that we need.

02:57That included shutting down highways,

03:03shutting down bridges,

03:04and stomping around the Department of Justice.

03:07So in under a year to have a conviction on all full counts

03:11for the murder of George Floyd,

03:13that was a win as an activist.

03:20Now I've been working on the ground for over a half a decade,

03:23and in the last year,

03:25I've had more pieces of legislation change.

03:28Police reform is here.

03:30Of course, I am an abolitionist.

03:32We need to abolish the police,

03:34but holding them accountable until we get to that point

03:37can save black lives.

03:39We are focusing on the youth,

03:53the youth of today and our culture and our community.

03:56We're focusing on the mental health issues,

04:00focusing on financial literacy,

04:02you know, things that they wouldn't normally pay attention to.

04:05We want to make them aware.

04:07That way they'll be able to cope with the world

04:10and get through as an adult.

04:30I want my coaches to stay woke,

04:32but I want the other coaches that's supporting us to stay woke.

04:38To keep this movement flourishing.

04:43To keep my brother's name ringing in the ears of everyone.

04:51Because you keep my brother's name ringing,

04:53you're going to keep everybody else's name ringing.

04:55Breonna Taylor, Sean Bell.

04:58Oh man, Ahmaud Arbery.

05:01You can go through the whole list.

05:03There's a lot of them.

05:05But as long as we keep their names ringing,

05:09the face of justice will look like what it is now.

05:12Change.

05:12George Floyd is a martyr.

05:15And it's sad that it took a horrendous murder

05:19for America to have this great reckoning and awareness.

05:23But every day I'm grateful to him.

05:25It's an honor to be able to keep his legacy and his memory going.

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