The aunt of murdered African American George Floyd has opened up about the tragic death of her nephew and the wave of support that came from around the world calling for change following his death in an exclusive interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), with Saturday marking two months since Floyd's death.
Angela Harrelson, the aunt of the 46-year-old Floyd who was killed in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, spoke of how the family has been coming to terms with the tragedy which went on to spark huge worldwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
On Monday, tens of thousands of workers across the United States, including staff members at airports, fast food restaurants, nursing homes and on farms, staged a nationwide strike to protest racial injustice against African Americans, in an event dubbed 'Strike for Black Lives'.
It was a continuation of the anti-racism demonstrations that have swept the nation after the death of Floyd, and was planned amid a surge in violent incidents across the nation that have tragically resulted in the deaths of a number of young children.
Speaking with CGTN, Harrelson recounted how she watched the horrifying footage of Floyd being forcefully detained by the white police officer in video pictures which have shocked the world.
"Everything just dropped, I just fell. And then I kept asking myself, did I just watch a modern day lynching?," she said. Harrelson had helped the father-of-five establish himself in Minneapolis but says she feels robbed and in some ways guilty that she could have done more to help her nephew.
"Now he's like when you go places, he's everywhere but he's not here. He's on somebody's wall. You go to the store, his face is there. And when that happened to him, that tragedy, for a few days I carried a lot of guilt. Because I feel like I wasn't there for him. And I had to really deal with that," said Harrelson. The heated protests that immediately erupted in Minneapolis in the wake of Floyd's death not only spread to other U.S. cities, but also around the world before long.
The level of support which followed from many countries was a source of great strength for the Floyd family, Harrelson said.
"When this first happened and I started hearing about [protests in] Germany and London and I was like, my god, they are really standing beside us. I was just so overwhelmed with so much love," she said.
Harrelson represented the family at a recent court hearing for the four police officers charged with killing Floyd. She called for justice for all the people who have suffered from racism- a hope that is shared by many across the world. "Of course we want justice. His death has opened up a conversation that never took place before. Racism is no longer in the denial process. And that's a beautiful thing. And it's something that is getting the respect that it should. And that's why I have so much hope," she said.
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