We remember George Floyd

For many of us, 2020 and 2021 will be two years far and away unlike any we will experience in our lifetimes. A deadly pandemic that has killed more than 25,000 Canadians and 3.3 million people globally while placing masks on faces, putting millions in hospitals and prompting unimaginable changes to our lives.

And then there’s George Floyd. The 47-year-old African American man became a symbol in the battle for racial equality and police reform across the U.S. and in countries around the world when he was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer last May 25. Nine minutes and 29 seconds, the length of time police officer Derek Chauvin forcibly knelt on Floyd’s death, was referenced in an incredibly moving piece on Sportsnet.ca.

 Donnovan Bennett, among many passionate, eloquent voices to call for an end to racial inequality in Canadian media and other walks of life, wrote a powerful letter to his baby boy. Morgan Campbell  said that there’s still much work to be done in the fight against racism. And, as Shireen Ahmed wrote, Floyd’s death was “also a painful reminder to others of the work that still needs to be done”.

 Yes, it does.

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