The family of George Floyd, whose death in Minneapolis police custody sparked nation-wide protests and months of racial turmoil, has urged the civil rights protesters to be his legacy as thousands of them gathered for a rally in Washington on Friday.
Bridgett Floyd, the sister of late George, said that her brother cannot be a voice today and added that “We have to be that voice, we have to be the change”. She was among the several families of black Americans, who were shot or killed by police authorities to address the rally to commemorate the historic 1963 civil rights march.
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All the speakers at the rally demanded racial justice and urged thousands of voters to vote for change and against the systematic racism by government law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, the family of Jacob Blake, who was shot seven times by the police officers in Kenosha city, said that they were holding court on the racism in the US and added that the verdict was “guilty, guilty, guilty!”.
In Washington DC, thousands of demonstrators gathered for the rally, which was organized by Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III – the eldest son of Mr. King Jr. it brought several activists to call for police reform, and the speakers of the event stood at the same spot from where Martin Luther King delivered his famous ‘I have a dream’ speech.
In the US history, the historic 1963 civil rights march was a seismic event, credited with outlawing the segregation the next year. According to the local media reports, more than 250,000 protesters participated in the rally, making it one of the biggest demonstrations the country had ever seen.
Many other speakers also spoke at the mega rally, congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who paid tribute to the black activists standing against systematic racism and police brutality. Other presenters included a young activist, who called for a change in gun laws that plagues especially black people. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris addressed the rally virtually and expressed solidarity with the BLM protesters.
