FIT President Joyce F. Brown has issued comments on the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. Her statement reads as follows:
May 25, 2021
Dear FIT Community,
We honor the memory of George Floyd today, one year after his brutal murder. As the day comes to a close, I still hear, in the distance, the beating of drums and chants calling for justice … justice now. Last year, when President Biden met with his family, Mr. Floyd’s young daughter said, “My daddy changed the world.” Perhaps he has. His name—emblazoned on countless banners in protests held throughout the country and the world—has become a symbol in the fight for racial justice and police reform. In Minneapolis, where the police officer who killed him was found guilty in a striking three-count decision, a foundation exists in Mr. Floyd’s name. Its mission is no less than to challenge the root causes of racial inequity and end the systemic violence affecting Black Americans.
The Floyd family has demonstrated uncommon grace and courage in the face of this tragedy, and we—and all Americans of good will—owe them our profound gratitude. We join with the family and the George Floyd Memorial Foundation in reaffirming our common commitment to justice and to creating an inclusive society free of violence and hatred. We join the call for justice … justice now … and pray that Mr. Floyd’s daughter will grow up in a world that justifies her pride.
Dr. Joyce F. Brown
President