Reflections: On the 5th Anniversary of George Floyd's Murder

by Will Schwartz

George Floyd (1973-2020)

The killing of George Floyd on Monday May 25, 2020 was a seismic event in American history, but not because it was unusual. White folks in the New World have been killing Blacks for hundreds of years. What was different about Floyd’s killing was how unapologetically brazen and flagrant it was. And how visible.

To a nation locked in pandemic captivity, the televised spectacle of that smirking white cop nonchalantly snuffing out the life of a helpless handcuffed Black man in broad daylight proved too much for most to bear.

In the next few days, as video of the murder and witness accounts replayed endlessly, public outrage could barely be contained, and in many cases it wasn’t. 

Late Thursday night I got a note from an old friend and colleague, Ray Bennett. Like many of us, Ray was heartbroken and angry but also fearful that violent protests could lead to more casualties and could damage communities. Ray asked if MLMP would help support a peaceful, silent protest at which participants would gather and take a knee for 9 minutes, the length of time that lethal force was applied to Mr. Floyd’s neck, resulting in his suffocation.

A short, silent protest seemed like a wonderful idea. It would let people express their own heartbreak and anger and show solidarity for the cause of racial justice. Because it would be outdoors, COVID safety protocols could be maintained.

The problem was, we had never done anything like this before. MLMP was barely two years old and our work involved education and coalition-building. Mounting a public protest in the midst of a national racial crisis was not the lane we swam in. The risks, including violence, were enormous. However, we felt the gravity of the hour required an immediate response and that, as a social justice organization, we had a responsibility to meet the moment.

So on Friday morning Ray’s idea was shared with board members, coalition partners and activists. All agreed the action outlined could be powerful. Because time was of the essence, and other communities were planning their own actions, we decided to focus our efforts on Baltimore County.

We worked on a plan over the next two days and announced the protest, called “Take a Knee for Justice,” in an email sent a few minutes before 10:00 am on Sunday morning, May 31–-a mere five hours ahead of the demonstration.

Despite only learning about it that morning, more than 150 people showed up Sunday afternoon for a simple yet powerful, moving statement of solidarity and resolve. Under the circumstances, it was an incredible turnout. After kneeling silently for the requisite nine minutes, we exited quietly to a recording of Sam Cooke’s classic “A Change is Gonna Come.” 

The wide and positive news coverage the event received vindicated our collective efforts and also signaled an important shift in how MLMP understands its mission. We were founded with the goal of helping Marylanders learn the truth about the state’s history of racial terror. Events five years ago were a stark reminder that racial terror is not just historical.

Will is the founder and immediate past president of the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project.