George Floyd

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd who was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Chauvin who is white knelt on the neck of Floyd, who was Black and unarmed, for more than nine minutes last year. Although Chauvin was convicted, the horrific death of Floyd was not enough to motivate the Senate to pass a police reform bill in Floyd’s name by today as President Joseph Biden hoped for.

In a wide-ranging interview, Victoria Kirby York—the recently appointed Deputy Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition— discusses how she first got involved with the organization that is focused on eradicating racism and promoting Black LGBTQ equality, her goals for the organization, how the Civil Rights Act was not as inclusive as people believe, and the significance of Black LGBTQ political representation.

As 2020 ends, no one will forget the high-profile police murders of countless unarmed African Americans like Breonna Taylor and George Floyd which happened earlier this year. After their deaths, massive protests took place nationwide, then new legislation was signed in multiple cities and states across the country to stop excessive force by the police.