Above Photo. MINNEAPOLIS , MINNESOTA - MAY 31: The makeshift memorial and mural outside Cup Foods where George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer on Sunday, May 31, 2020 in Minneapolis , Minnesota. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
For enslaved Africans the vestiges of racism and slavery have a ghost-like affect in the United States of America. Like the current Covid-19 pandemic the results can be deadly.
George Floyd will be a martyr for the 2020 rebellions which are sweeping across the nation. Born in Houston Texas, Floyd found Minneapolis as a place to try and live out his dreams.
Many questions have popped up since his murder was shown across media. Minnesota has long prided itself as a state you could enjoy life. All of that sounds good but for the vast majority of African-Americans who like Floyd migrated there, that has not been their reality.
To get a better understanding of why many view the Floyd murder as a symbol resulting from the vestiges of racism and slavery, you’ve got to pause and pay attention to history: current history.
The income gap in Minneapolis between white and black families is the second worse in the country, at $50,000. Judy Woodruff, Executive Producer PBS News Hour
Like so many states, as productive as Minnesota is for some it has a history. For African-American’s that history translates into the same oppressive behavior which led to Floyd being murdered. We are not putting a blanket assessment on the people of Minnesota, especially those in the majority who are white but understanding the history and putting that understanding in a reasonable context might create objectivity when discussing Floyd. No doubt many African-Americans have created upward-mobility but a vast majority live in poverty which can be traced to the systemic social policies which are documented through the United States.
Here are two excellent sources that showcase current disparities in Minnesota and specifically Minneapolis
The segment is called “Roots of Anger” and starts at the 39:40 mark of the video.
The second piece is very interesting and shares how Minnesota became known as the “Jim Crow of the North.” I saw this special screening during the 2020 Pan-African Film Festival and it is riveting.
Thomas Reports 