ABOUT

THE STORY

On May 25, 2020, George Perry Floyd was lynched by the Minneapolis Police Department just steps away from the intersection of 38th Street East and Chicago Avenue South. In response to this atrocity, people came from across the world to pay their respects, lay expressions of pain and hope as offerings, and grieve the ongoing violence against black bodies.

The memorial started out simple, with circles of flowers and a few distinct locations to lay offerings. It has now expanded to encompass offerings in every direction, both large and small. It would take a museum several years to build a collection of the magnitude to which the memorial has grown. Since the 2020 uprising, caretakers have built a greenhouse for the plants and delicate offerings and developed a temporary conservation room kindly provided by the Pillsbury House & Theater and supported by the Midwest Arts Conservation Center. They continue to tend to the offerings at the intersection of 38th & Chicago laid in memory of George Floyd and other black lives lost in this community and across the nation.

MISSION AND VISION

We exist to conserve stories of resistance to racial injustice and to curate spaces for all people to grieve, pay respect, and be a voice for justice. Our vision is to bring community development in Minneapolis and inspire people to pursue racial justice around the world.

Board of directors

Angela Harrelson

Co-chairman & Maternal Aunt

Angela Harrelson, George Floyd’s aunt and published author of the book, “Lift Your Voice: How My Nephew George Floyd’s Murder Changed the World,” grew up in a shack surrounded by tobacco fields in eastern North Carolina, and was taught by her sharecropper parents how to get along in a country that made black people sit in the back of the bus.

She worked the tobacco fields during high school to pay for school clothes, became head cheerleader, and won the title of Ms Congeniality in a local beauty pageant. The win put a proud smile on her mother’s face that she shared with one of the white farmers’ wives. Sadly, the wife of the farmer didn’t believe it was the same Black girl that worked in their tobacco fields. Angela overheard her tell her mom, “That is no way your daughter.” Angela’s mom told her, “It doesn’t matter. When you got the proof with the truth, that’s all you need know. ” After graduation, Angela attended community college in Iowa where she hoped to become a lawyer. She later changed her mind about pursuing a law career when a law counselor said that he did not teach Black people because he is racist. Intimidated by his position of authority and white influence, she pursued Nursing instead. Harrelson completed a Bachelor’s degree and served in the Army National Guard, Navy Reserves, and Air force Reserve/Guard for 15 years which helped finance her schooling. She later ended her military career as an Air Force Captain and has been working as an R.N for nearly 30 years. The world knows him as George Floyd, but the family knows him by his middle name, Perry. Perry moved to Minneapolis three years ago to build a new life and Angela looked forward to having him in Minnesota. Angela made a promise to his mother, Sissy, that she would be there for him and would continue to encourage him to stay focused on his plans. Before her nephew’s death, she felt people didn’t want to talk about racism, but now, she’s encouraged because there’s an ongoing conversation occuring around the world. Angela is sharing his story throughout the United States, keeping the kind-hearted spirit of her gentle, beloved nephew alive, and doing her part to continue in the fight against racism and oppression. Minnesota has been her home since 1998. When reflecting upon her nephew Angela remarks, “When Perry decided to make his home here, his presence was special. He is missed dearly by his friends & family who will continue to be a voice for him. We must not let his death be his last word”

Paris Stevens

Co-chair & First Cousin

Paris Stevens is a native of Cedar Rapids, IA. She attended the public schools of Cedar Rapids and graduated from Kennedy High School in 1994. She decided to enroll at an Historically Black College in the fall of 1994. She moved to Raleigh, NC and attended Saint Augustine’s College.

She graduated in 1998 with a BS in Business Administration. In life, her aspirations were to simply help people and encourage them to be their best person. In her business career she helped many achieve the “American Dream” of becoming homeowners, working in the mortgage industry for over 10 years. She decided to take another path and pursue a completely different career, Nursing. She attended North Carolina A & T State University, an Historically Black College, and received a BS in Nursing in 2016. Even though these career paths are different, the potential to make a difference in someone’s life was significant to her and important to her transition to Nursing. Throughout her life, Paris has challenged herself and set goals, believing that quitting is not an option. She has come to the next chapter in her life, where she never thought she would be. The death of her cousin, George Perry Floyd, changed her outlook on life. She truly believes that we are not placed in situations by accident. Her heart has been pulled toward making change and sparking awakening in those who are asleep. She believes that together we can accomplish more than we can separately. Her personal philosophy and call to action is “Let us keep walking the walk together.”

Jeanelle Austin

Executive Director & Community Member

Jeanelle Austin is the creator of Racial Agency Initiative, a racial justice leadership coaching company. She is also the lead caretaker of the memorial, where she guides a team of volunteers to stand in the unique space of preservation and protest.

She began tending to the memorial during the first week of the protest as a form of social resistance and self-care. Every day, the memorial looked different, and every day, she and others would tend to both the new and old offerings so that the story could be preserved. Jeanelle earned a BA in Christian Ministries from Messiah College and an MDiv in Ethics and an MA in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. She consults and speaks nation-wide on various topics as they intersect with race in America. A native resident of Minneapolis, Jeanelle grew up blocks away from the intersection of 38th & Chicago in Bryant Neighborhood and joyfully serves the community alongside brothers and sisters in the ongoing fight for racial justice.

Heather Carroll

Archiving Sacred Spaces Fellow

Heather Carroll is a neighbor and community member of 38th and Chicago neighborhoods. She has been assisting as an indoor caretaker with George Floyd’s memorial since July 2020.

Heather holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, a Masters of Library and Information Science from St. Catherine University and a Certificate of Museum Studies from the University of St. Thomas. In 2020, she began teaching and advising students for the Archives and Special Collections pathway of the Library and Information Science program at St. Catherine University.

Lauren Aung

Summer 2023 Intern

Lauren Aung is a student at Princeton University studying Politics and Values and Public Life. Her studies center around the intersection of racial justice, the state, and the media in the United States. She is originally from Austin, Texas.