What's changed since George Floyd's death one year ago
Summary
Note: Teachers may want to refer to
this resource
by Colorín Colorado about discussing community violence with their students.
This week marks one year since George Floyd, an unarmed Black man was killed by then-police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin held his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. His death, recorded on video by 17-year-old bystander
Darnella Frazier
, sparked widespread protests globally and reignited the Black Lives Matter movement and conversations around race.
Last month, Chauvin was found guilty of three counts of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. His sentencing will be in June and the trials of the other officers in Floyd’s death will soon follow.
Floyd’s death marked the beginning of a year of reckoning over minorities targeted by police, as seen through the public’s enduring outrage over the killing of Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, Ma’Khia Bryant and others.
Key terms:
systemic change
: change that affects how major institutions such as government, education, police and the church operate
Five Facts
Who
is making efforts to keep George Floyd’s memory alive?
Why
is the police reform process such a difficult process in Minneapolis?
What
are people doing to commemorate Floyd’s anniversary?
How
have Minneapolis residents been feeling since witnessing Floyd’s death?
When
was Floyd killed, and when was Derek Chauvin found guilty of his murder?
Focus Questions
Do you think lawmakers are doing enough to make systemic changes in the policing system after Floyd’s death? Why or why not?
Can you think of an example of systemic change that will address the problem of racism in the U.S.?
Media literacy:
How do you think social media affected the ways people came to know of Floyd’s death and how it was covered in the news? How has social media influenced the ways Floyd is remembered today?
For More
You can watch a longer segment of PBS NewsHour’s anniversary special on George Floyd
below
. For the full 50-minute program, watch
this video
.
People are remembering Floyd’s death all over the country, not just in Minneapolis. Here’s further reading on how Americans are grappling with racial bias and police reform.
