Key Takeaways:
- George Floyd’s family and civil rights leaders gathered in Houston to mark five years since his murder and renew calls for justice.
- Speakers condemned the Trump administration’s rollback of police reform efforts, calling it a betrayal of progress.
- The memorial blended grief, gospel and political resolve, with leaders vowing to keep fighting for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
On the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death (May 25), his family, civil rights leaders and supporters gathered in Houston and across the country to honor his legacy and reignite the call for justice and police reform. The memorial brought together the slain resident’s siblings, including his brother Philonise and sisters LaTonya and Zsa Zsa, along with the Rev. Al Sharpton, attorney Ben Crump, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and other local officials and community members.
George Floyd’s family leads Houston memorial rooted in justice and remembrance
Per the Houston Chronicle, Philonise addressed residents of Houston’s Cuney Homes, where he and George grew up, saying, “We’re fighting for a purpose… we’re not going anywhere.” The Floyd family also hosted a private service before joining local community members for reflections, poetry and gospel tributes that echoed the global grief and reckoning sparked by George’s murder in 2020. During the ceremony, LaTonya sang the O’Jays’ “Family Reunion,” a reminder of resilience through unity.
Sharpton called the tragic death a modern-day Emmett Till moment and recalled when attorney Ben Crump went to Minneapolis to support the family and nonviolent protests, even during the COVID-19 lockdown. “I promised them that we would be there to the end,” Sharpton said.
Leaders call out Trump administration for reversing police reform progress
Despite the sweeping protests and reforms that followed Floyd’s death, speakers criticized the Trump administration’s rollback of federal consent decrees in Minneapolis and Louisville, calling it an affront to the progress made. “To wait till the anniversary to announce this,” he expressed, “is tantamount to... spitting on the grave of George Floyd.” Sharpton further made it clear that the push for change will not stop.
Congresswoman Williams echoed that sentiment: “I'm here to do my part, and I will never turn my back on this family.” She and others pledged to keep pushing for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which remains stalled in Congress.
Other family members spoke emotionally about the lasting impact of George’s death and the need to carry the movement forward. “George was the flame that set this world on fire,” one relative said, also referencing Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
Attorney Crump praised the Floyd family’s courage amid grief. “History will record these moments of how we stood up for George Floyd… [and] for our children,” he said.
The service ended in prayer, a call for spiritual and moral strength in the face of continued injustice. “We promised George and we're going to keep our promise,” Sharpton said. He reassured the audience that regardless of who the president may be, “God is still on the throne.”