Minnesota's Governor, Tim Walz, has once again designated May 25 as "George Floyd Remembrance Day," marking the fourth anniversary of Floyd's death.
This is the third consecutive year that the governor has issued such a statement to commemorate Floyd on this significant date.
In the official proclamation, Walz declared, George Floyds murder ignited a global movement, accentuating the systemic racism that Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color have endured for centuries. He further emphasized that "true justice for George Floyd will come only by upholding high standards of accountability and investing in genuine systemic change."
The proclamation also detailed the legal proceedings following Floyd's death. "On April 20, 2021, a state jury in Minneapolis, Minnesota, found Derek Chauvin guilty of George Floyds murder. On May 7, 2022, a federal jury in Saint Paul, Minnesota, convicted all four police officers of violating George Floyd's civil rights; former officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng pled guilty of aiding and abetting the murder on May 8, 2022, and October 24, 2022; and on May 1, 2023, a Hennepin County court found former police officer Tou Thao guilty in the murder of George Floyd," the proclamation detailed.
The governor's statement underscored the significance of these verdicts, stating they "created significant momentum towards a more just society where the health, safety, and well-being of every person Minnesota is protected, but our work to dismantle systemic racism and discrimination has not ended."
The proclamation concluded with a call to action: We must continue to do everything in our power to deconstruct generations of systemic racism and inequities in our state so that every Minnesotan has the opportunity and resources to thrive, and that George Floyd Remembrance Day is a time to honor him and every person whose life has been cut short due to systems of racism and discrimination.
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