The first memorial for George Floyd was held in Minneapolis on Thursday with several celebrities as well as politicians attending the somber event.
Floyd, 46, lost his life after a Minneapolis police officer was filmed kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes, ignoring pleas from the victim that he could not breathe. During the memorial, attendants observed a moment of silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time the officer spent kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
Speaking at the event, Rev. Al Sharpton, who acknowledged the presence of notable figures in attendance, called for an end to systemic racism in the United States.
“The reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being is you kept your knee on our neck,” Sharpton said. “We don’t want no favors. Just get up off of us and we can be and do whatever we can be.”
The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, also said: “What we are doing is helping America be America for all Americans. George Floyd is the moment that gives us the best opportunity that I have seen in a long time of reaching that high ideal that this country was founded upon.”
Also joining the host of celebrities at the memorial were politicians and notable activists including Rev. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III, Gov. Tim Walz, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Sheila Jackson-Lee and Ayanna Pressley, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, among others.
Take a look at the celebrities that were spotted at the memorial below:
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has said that his little brother was subjected to racial abuse,…
Reggie Bush has regained his place as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner after over a…
Since 2012, actor Nick Cannon has openly shared his struggle with lupus to support others…
Former USC superstar Caleb Williams has been drafted by the Chicago Bears as the No.…
Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN analyst. People widely regard him as the face of…
Lil Durk is an American rapper and one of the most influential voices in the…
In 2022, Kevin Hart added a new title to his impressive resume: a tequila entrepreneur.…
AEW's latest pay-per-view, Dynasty 2024 on Sunday night saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to…
Renowned civil rights activist Opal Lee, known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," will be awarded…
Violet Horne lost her two sons to gun violence within the space of a month.…
An Ohio man said a K-9 bit him seven times after he was pulled over…
Three male foreign tourists who were spotted posing naked in a popular dune in Namibia…
Will.i.am is partnering with other prominent figures to revolutionize the digital media scene by forming…
Sabelle Beraki's childhood was inundated with the lack of representation when it came to a…
Benjamin Harvey is the founder of AI Squared, a third-party software company that helps organizations…