Remembering 2020: the local impact of the murder of George Floyd

2020 was not the best year, to say the least. Legends died, wild fires raged, a pandemic hit. Racial violence seemed to be at its peak in 2020 with the murder of George Floyd, yet Floyd was not the only example.

Ahmad Arbery was killed by three white supremacists while jogging, Breonna Taylor was killed by police in her home, and Elijah McClain was killed by police officers walking home from the store.

The black community didn’t take it to light, nor did other people of color, including celebrities like Jamie Foxx, Ariana Grande, and Tessa Thompson. These deaths caused protest all around the world, including here in Champaign-Urbana.

“When I heard about George Floyd, it was in the middle of the night. I had watched the video on twitter and I just burst out crying. I couldn’t believe what I saw and it set a deep rage inside of me. I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or scream,” said sophomore Kiera Shaw.

Sophomore Truu Johnson’s reaction was even tougher.

“When George Floyd died I didn’t know what to say. I felt as if it wasn’t reality. I felt as if we were just visitors in this white man’s world. The way they relentlessly killed a black man while begging for his life and then thought that there shouldn’t be any consequences,” he said.

Both Shaw and Johnson attended protests, and had something powerful to say about them.

“I honestly felt good seeing more people take action in the racial injustice that we have in this country. It meant a lot, but even after the protest we still have to face racial complications,’’ said Johnson.

For Shaw, the protests brought hope. “It felt really empowering to protest. So many people fighting for the same cause felt unreal, the chants and the long walks really made me believe that this could change the way of the justice system, especially in Champaign-Urbana,” she said.

If you’re reading this you’re probably thinking, what’s the point. The point is to know, to feel, to understand, and to remember what Champaign-Urbana did is a part of that remembrance. What Johnson and Shaw did is a part of that, too. Even if the whole world doesn’t know, we know.