Houston-native George Floyd's birthday celebrated in Minneapolis
Houston-native George Floyd's birthday celebrated in Minneapolis
Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, would have been George Floyd's 48th birthday. The Houston native was killed in 2020 after a former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. He is now remembered on the same corner where he lost his life.
MINNEAPOLIS - On the same corner where Houston native George Floyd lost his life, people gathered to celebrate Thursday on what would have been his 48th birthday.
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The area of South Minneapolis has now become somewhat of a tourist attraction. It's become a place where people come to pay their respects, leave flowers, and capture a shot of the now-infamous Floyd mural.
For his birthday, the mood in the area was happy as people listened to live music ate good food, and spoke about how Floyd's life impacted people across the world.
Floyd's aunt Mahalia Jones says she was overjoyed to see so many smiling faces in an area where the tragedy occurred.
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"It's just a beautiful thing to recognize him. His name, it just changed, it changed the world what happened," she said. "And it means a whole lot because change...it's still moving and it's still going. It's bringing people together."
In Houston, Floyd's memory is being solidified. A community center was built in his neighborhood of Third Ward, which will house a gym, pharmacy, and medical clinic. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is happening Saturday, October 16 at 9 a.m. at The Power of Life Fellowship Church on Hadley St., and the public is invited to attend the event.