Remembering George Floyd
Floyd went out of his way to help others and encourage those in need.
Charlie Kirk was born on October 14, 1993. George Floyd was born on October 14, 1973.
Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Floyd grew up in Houston, Texas in a historically Black, underserved neighborhood marked by poverty, crime, and limited opportunity. He lived in “The Bricks,”the nickname for the Cuney Homes housing project, with no community resources.
He was raised by Larcenia “Cissy” Floyd, a single mother who was deeply loved in her community. She worked hard to provide for her children despite economic hardship. George was the oldest of five, and from a young age, he felt the pressure to be strong, to set an example, to carry the weight of survival on his shoulders. That’s a heavy burden for a child.
Despite the circumstances, George had dreams. He wanted to be a Supreme Court justice one day. He was a gifted athlete — tall, talented, and driven. He earned a scholarship to play basketball and later football at South Florida State College. He was the first in his family to go to college, which was no small feat given the obstacles around him.
But like so many young Black men who grow up in poverty, the systems around George often failed to offer a path forward after those early dreams ended. The pressures of surviving in an environment with few safety nets and lots of traps began to take their toll. He struggled with addiction. He made mistakes. He served time. He tried to turn his life around. He moved to Minneapolis in 2014 for a fresh start.
Described as a “shining light in the community,” Floyd went out of his way to help others and encourage those in need. Stephanie Square, a neighborhood friend, told NPR, “He was always encouraging… he never stopped. All he did was encourage everyone and tell you words like, I’m so proud of you; you’re going to make it; you’re going to be an example to a lot of others. I think that’s his legacy, and that’s what we try to do … to give back and … encourage the younger ones.”
By the time he was murdered in 2020, George Floyd was trying to rebuild. He was working security, connecting with his children, and doing what so many of us do—trying to find peace and stability.
It is clear that George lived his whole life with a knee on his neck. Any of us could have been George Floyd. Just by being out in the world makes us a target for police violence. Efforts at police reform to prevent this from happening have been blocked.
Books about Black history have been removed from curricula and libraries. Colleges have lost funding or have had their funding limited. Anything that attempts to increase upward mobility for Black people is being shut down, closed, unfunded, or vilified. The message is loud and clear: We don’t matter.
Charlie Kirk stoked white nationalism and spread disinformation about anyone who wasn’t a white male. He spent his life pushing for policies designed to make life miserable for marginalized people. He said the cop who murdered George should be pardoned.
On October 14, don’t buy anything. If you can, stay home from work. If you have privilege, use it to uplift others. If you have power, use it to empower others.
