It was my privilege to document such an important moment in our history as Houston hosted a peaceful march to honor the life of George Floyd murdered by e Minneapolis police officers, now charged with the crime in the state of Minnesota after his arrest for trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill on Memorial Day. You all know the story by now, the event has become the straw that broke the camel’s back in the systemic racism persisting since the founding of our country. Protests have erupted across the nation. Looting has followed and the POTUS has threatened to send military into our cities to dominate the protestors.

Houston is trying to lead by example and our mayor and police chief marched with protestors and 16 members of the Floyd Family to City Hall. Estimates of 60,000 people walked peacefully from Discovery Green and heard speeches by artists and activists and said prayers by the reflection pool. The Rev. William Lawson, 91, former pastor of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King, said he was uplifted by the response to George Floyd’s death and called for people to vote Donald Trump out of office during a 10-minute speech from his wheelchair. Make noise, he called out and they did, and they will.

For all lives to matter, black lives have to matter first.

June 2, 2020

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