Today George Floyd Would’ve Been 48 Years Old

If he would have been alive today George Floyd would have been 48 years old. He may have been spending time with his daughters, fiancé, or family. Who knows, he may have been in the studio today working on new music that he could be releasing. Unfortunately, this will not be the case as George Floyd was killed last year by Minnesota disgraced police officer Derek Chauvin.

Thankfully, he was convicted earlier this year and can sit and think about how he truly affected the life of a young man who potentially had so much more to offer to the world. When I sit here and think about George Floyd and the impact that he has made on many since his death last year, you can’t help but think about how in some ways, he really brought a lot of people together for the cause of justice. The sad reality however is that there have been just as many killings of unarmed black men by police officers since Floyd’s death.

I had the chance to visit Minneapolis earlier this year and visited George Floyd Square and you can truly feel his presence when you are there. The entire area is where he was murdered and while there is a mural of him with dedications in the square, there is also a man-made dedication cemetery with the tombstones of so many others including Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice, and even Sandra Bland. I never met George Floyd personally, but he truly inspired many to want to change. We have to realize that this is a deeply rooted problem that starts with quality training and sensitivity to many in the Black community.

While his daughter will be taken care of by so many who want the best for her, one thing she will never have is a father to walk her down the aisle when she decides to get married. She won’t have her father there to see her when she graduates from high school or college. This has to change and it may not happen in my lifetime, but I am sure that it will happen eventually. So happy birthday to George Floyd and to all of his friends and those who marched and supported the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin. Let’s try and do our part to make things a little better for the future generation so that they can understand how the community and law enforcement can possibly work together for the betterment of each other.