George Floyd, may you rest in peace. You changed the world ~ even if only for a little while. But we remember you.
Floyd’s lynching by Minneapolis, Minnesota police shocked us all on May 25, 2020. It’s hard to believe that kind of thing still happens in the United States. What kind of people are we? I thought we were good people.
May 2020 to January 20, 2025
But you know, some good came out of it. The shock changed many of us. In New York City, it led to another flowering of African Diaspora culture that I call the Harlem Renaissance 3.0.
I have been reporting on New York City culture for over a decade. After George Floyd’s murder, cultural doors opened to African Americans that were never open before. It started in the art world, then Broadway jumped in, and now it’s throughout the arts. Whatever happens in the African American community, echoes into the Latin community, and this echoed into Asian American communities too.
All people of color are getting opportunities that we couldn’t have before. It’s about time because the promise of the United States is that all people are treated equally. We’re not there yet, but we are working on it together.
After George Floyd’s murder, Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, founder of the Caribbean Cultural African Diaspora Institute and an early El Museo del Barrio leader, put out the call to support the Black Arts. To us, as Puerto Rican bomba drummers, the call of the drum is a sacred call that we will always answer. We started featuring the African Diaspora in our work. That opened up our world exponentially.
So sorry for what happened to you George. Very few people change the world, but you did. Rest in peace.
2026 Recap
I thought the world turned in my direction, but what seemed like a sea change has receded. People of color are now under assault in ways we haven’t seen since the 1950s.
It’s time for all Americans of good conscience to stand together and protect or families, friends, and communities. In some cases, we need to turn our backs on the people who are systematically destroying our country. We also need to call out our representatives and senators on the phone and at town halls. But the most important thing is to vote. We need to replace all those in Congress who have stood by or enabled this to happen.
Incredibly, federal and some state forces are doing everything they can to prevent you from voting. So now is the time to register to vote, and if you are already registered, now is the time to check your registration. Both are easy to do at non-partisan vote.org
At least we were more united for a while, and that gives me hope. George Floyd RIP.