I heard the NAACP held a prayer vigil after George Floyd’s death?
We decided in the midst of everything going on, a lot of people are nervous, and a lot of people are scared. One thing we had to do is strive to heal. We understand that the riot is the language of the unheard. We had leaders come in, and we said understand this mass tragedy. Unfortunately, in this country black blood has always had to be shed for a change to come. Prayer resolves every situation. We wanted to bring our community together to assure them that in our county and our community, people want to sit at the table and have conversations. We started with prayer because we understand these are systemic issues that have plagued our country for hundreds of years.
Is there something that feels different about this situation and George Floyd?
Yes. I think Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.] was in the struggle before the national conscientiousness was awakened. It made the Americans of good conscience say, ‘This is not America.’ You have the right to peacefully protest; those are the laws of the land. If we are to be equal; we can’t beat our citizens in the street. The ruthlessness, the arrogance of what the officer did was undeniable. It was just like the Emmett Till moment where his mother decided to have an open casket; it shook the American conscience. We all witnessed, in 2020, an Emmett Till, a modern-day lynching.
Are you seeing more change in high school and college students?
Yes, when I see these things, it gives me good hope that this generation is not going to sit on the sidelines. They understand that we have had enough of what they have seen. This generation grew up seeing President Obama in office.
Does the NAACP have anything else planned for awareness?
We are planning to do a town hall in regards to gaining community trust with the government. We have had the Manvel, Alvin and Angleton police departments and the cities of Alvin and Pearland reach out. The town hall is going to be on Juneteenth because we understand that our country is burning. George Floyd’s legacy was about bringing people together. He was a big teddy bear.
Is this replacing the annual Juneteenth celebration?
More than likely, COVID[-19] has already hampered [the annual celebration] though. We want to be as responsible as possible. We may need to stream the event. We want to continue to promote safety.
Are there any changes you would like to see, even in Pearland or Brazoria County? Have you seen a response for unity?
Yes, I have seen a good response from the local police and from our citizens. The commissioners and judge, though, they have not been in contact.
What is your response to the situation overall?
Well to seeing George Floyd’s death, I am angry and pissed off. I am a black man, and I am really tired of seeing us killed in the street. I will say that every protest following is because of an unarmed black man’s killing. I am hopeful though because our community has responded.
