Weekend of George Floyd memorials begins with prayer service
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Faith leaders from local churches, mosques and synagogues gathered in downtown Minneapolis on Friday for a morning of prayers.
They opened a weekend of events marking the day that George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police four years ago Saturday.
Former Minneapolis NAACP leader Leslie Redmond helped lead the event with her nonprofit Win Back. She offered a prayer at the event.
“We pray for the family of George Floyd that is still mourning to this day. Not a figure, but a person. Not a figure, but a family member,” Redmond said. “We pray for a movement, not a moment.”
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Redmond said the prayer service — and the weekend’s events — are not just about mourning Floyd.
“It's about rallying our community for healing, understanding, and solidarity,” she said.
The Rev. Richard Coleman of Wayman African Methodist Episcopal Church in north Minneapolis said there’s more work to be done to combat racism, in the Twin Cities and beyond.
“We go into the world where a culture persists that allows police officers and others in authority to abuse their power and their offices, even upon those, among those who are most needful of assistance and support,” Coleman said. “We must live in commitment to be the change.”
Events throughout the weekend will commemorate Floyd and the global movement his murder sparked. After Friday’s prayer service, leaders gathered for a march to George Floyd Square at East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in south Minneapolis.
The square, marking where police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, will host the annual Rise and Remember event Saturday. Community organizations and leaders will lead activities and a candlelight vigil.
