On Thursday, May 21., SOAR (Students Organized for Anti-Racism) organized a memorial for George Floyd, a man from Minneapolis who was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020. The memorial entailed educational topics, an open forum for audience members to share their thoughts, a moment of silence and a vigil.
Junior Anjali Narais said memorials make an impact on Park students by educating them and forming solidarity through adversities. She said young people practicing advocacy and social justice will help shape the future.
“(Memorials are) very significant to bring the community of students together, not only to educate them on topics they aren’t being taught in class, but also to create a sense of community as we’re going through hardships in our world,” Narais said. “For youth, getting started in social justice work at a young age ignites those thoughts and worldviews within you for your adult life. Since we’re the future generation of voters, being involved in activism now will directly affect what the world looks like (in the future).”
Sophomore Muntas Abdullahi said the memorial involved students sharing their views out loud with the others. She said activist groups such as SOAR are spaces where everyone is welcome and included, and shares the same values.
“(The memorial) was very impactful and significant, because the whole school came together,” Abdullahi said. “There (were) mics being passed around; people got to share their opinions with a collective (of) people who all have the same mindset. (Activism) helps young people realize that everybody has a space where they’re welcomed and needed, and spaces like this help people help people feel that way.”
Social studies teacher and SOAR advisor Charlie Mahaffey said the memorial has taken place annually since Floyd’s murder. He said memorials allow for honoring and reflection on past victims of police brutality while connecting them to current events.
“The George Floyd Memorial is something that was done before I was the advisor, and is something that has been done every year to remember George Floyd, and also the uprising for justice that happened in the wake of his murder,” Mahaffey said. “Every year, the memorial serves as a chance to fight for racial justice, and students every year ask themselves what’s happening in the world right now to connect that event to current events.”
According to Narais, sorrow and outrage linger in the community around the anniversary of Floyd’s murder. She said the tragedy elicited fear in people of color across the country, and it started conversations about the state of racism and unjust law enforcement practices.
“(Since) this is the time of year when (Floyd) was killed, being in the Twin Cities area, there’s definitely a lot of grief (and) anger with how our law enforcement looks in the US,” Narais said. “(Floyd) was a father who did not deserve to be killed. What happened was an act of racial profiling. It evoked a lot of fear for people of color, not only within the Twin Cities area but nationwide. Protests were widespread across the nation; it brought people together in having the conversation about how racism is prevalent in society.”
Abdullahi said there is a large array of emotions surrounding the murder. She said focusing on positive aspects, such as honoring those who have passed away, aids in persevering through the grief of the tragedy.
“A lot of different emotions come up,” Abdullahi said. “There’s rage, there’s mourning, there’s a (wide) range of emotions that come out of it, but I feel that if you focus on the positive and have more hope, you can get through the negative. Some of those positive things (include) coming with family to a memorial like this (and) being in a space where everybody wants you, and you’re all trying to get the same thing out of it.”
Mahaffey said they live close to George Floyd Square, where the murder happened. They said while Park is geographically close to the site, there is still a separation between it and the suburban community, and that SOAR aims to remind Park community members of how police brutality is not only a distant issue.
“I live in South Minneapolis, about a mile and a half from George Floyd Square, and in a lot of ways, that feels a lot closer than where this high school is,” Mahaffey said. “I think that there’s this constant tension in St. Louis Park of being very close to George Floyd Square geographically, but also feeling very separate. I think that part of the work of what SOAR does and why we hold the George Floyd memorial is to try to hold on to that and not distance ourselves from the reality of police violence.”
Narais said connections were made during the memorial between the death of Floyd in 2020 and similar tragedies still happening today. According to her, there is a lot of discussion where many people can share their unique perspectives. She said SOAR provides education for students who may not otherwise be aware of current events and important information.
“(During the memorial), we were talking about the connection to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) today, which is another example of our government and law enforcement agencies abusing their power,” Narais said. “We try to include a lot of reflection time when we’re having small group discussions, and then sharing out, so that we can not only share our own perspectives but hear from others. We do a lot of education work as well, because a lot of people might not know, not only the details of the murder, but how it shows up today. It’s continual, and the work needs to be continual as well.”
Abdullahi said students showing up and participating in the memorial makes a difference. According to her, SOAR had meticulously planned the execution of the event, including making and handing out zines with information in multiple languages.
“Students have done something that’s been so impactful, which is coming to this memorial, inviting their friends (and) having the intention of coming and stay(ing) quiet in those nine minutes and 28 seconds (to) really deepen your thought,” Abdullahi said. “We had planned this a month prior. We had people do slides, we had people do speaker notes, we had people organize zines, which were in different languages, and I felt like that was really great, because everybody had a role and everybody took initiative.”
Mahaffey said there was an opening question of how police brutality has shifted since Floyd’s death. He said the moment of silence was to provoke a deep reflection on how Floyd suffered during the last moments of his life.
“Students were asked to respond to a prompt about how police violence has changed since the murder of George Floyd, and that’s the first question they answered to get them thinking about connections to current events, and then students hear(d) a little bit about what SOAR has done during the year,” Mahaffey said. “They have a chance for discussion, and then they share out. It ends with nine and a half minutes of silence for the nine and a half minutes that George Floyd spent under the knee of Derek Chauvin as he was murdered. It’s really important for kids to have this moment of quiet reflection and connection.”
Narais said the concluding moment of silence was an emotional time for all who attended. She said it is important to stay aware of police brutality and remember victims, even if it’s underreported.
“I was definitely feeling a lot of grief, especially during the (moment) of silence; you could feel the emotions in the air,” Narais said. “Since it happened six years ago, a lot of people aren’t still talking or thinking about George Floyd’s death, and maybe they think that police brutality isn’t as prevalent since it’s not being brought up constantly in the news anymore, but it’s important to remind people of that.”
Mahaffey said different members of SOAR have different ideas and desired outcomes related to law enforcement. According to them, one of SOAR’s main goals is to provide education and know-your-rights teaching sessions to provide students with vital information for their safety.
“The thing we have done the most in the last two years in SOAR was know-your-rights trainings,” Mahaffey said. “These are trainings that SOAR students have received through the Legal Rights Center and deliver to students, and they go over what your rights are (while) interacting with police. This is really effective and useful for young people, because it makes it a conversation of, ‘do you even know what your rights are when you’re talking to police?’, instead of, ‘are you pro or anti-cop?’ and those know-your-rights trainings have been really important because it informs students. I have had students in my time at Park who have come to me and said, ‘Thank you for doing the know-your-rights training; If you had not done that, I would be in prison.’”
