WE MISS YOU, GEORGE FLOYD
By Shannon Gibney
Illustrated by Leeya Rose Jackson
Memorial Day, May 25, 2020. For those of us in the Twin Cities area, it was one of those days where we as a community remember where we were and what we were doing, especially with the COVID quarantine going on. The aftermath of that day would be felt around the world. Systemic racism would be laid bare for the world to see in three words: “I can’t breathe.” In a way that will never let us forget, Shannon Gibney’s We Miss You, George Floyd gives us a framework we can share with our children.
Page by page, Gibney and Jackson give us a visual of the day George Floyd was murdered and the events leading up to those final 8 minutes and 46 seconds of his life, through a Black girl’s eyes. Her story includes the people who came from around the county to create his memorial, which is now George Floyd Square, the artwork and the messages, which inspired the main character to leave her own artwork at the memorial.
Gibney doesn’t stop there. She shares the story of his life. In her words, “He was a father, a brother, a son, a hip hop artist, a football and basketball player, and a friend. He was also my neighbor.” In addressing the matter of police brutality, she doesn’t tiptoe around it; rather, she breaks it down for a child’s understanding and discussion. Finally, she reminds us that this fight against injustice is nothing new. It is ongoing, and the victory will not be an easy one, yet there is hope for “a world without police violence.”
As African Americans, sooner or later we have to have The Talk with our children when it comes to racism, police brutality/abuse of power, and a world that treats us as though our lives don’t matter. As an award-winning author, educator, and activist, Gibney gives us a powerful testimony and teaching tool to encourage our children to speak up in the fight for justice and the hope of creating a better world.
I give a hat tip to Leeya Rose Jackson for her creative inspiration in helping to bring this story to life.
We Miss You, George Floyd is available through Barnes & Noble, Powell’s City of Books, and the University of Minnesota Press.
This is a title that bears repeating: we miss you, George Floyd. May we never forget. Thank you, Shannon, for continuing to speak up and speak out.
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
