George Floyd's Sister Helps Create Internship For Black Men At Texas A&M
George Floyd is no longer with us but his legacy lives on. Texas A&M, where Floyd played college basketball, will now have an internship in his honor.
Bridgett Floyd, his sister and president of the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, said in a statement, “We are honored to launch the ‘Be His Legacy’ internship in conjunction with Texas A&M University at Commerce.
She continued, “As we focus on communities, equity, education and police reform, we are excited to have students interested in these areas help us move the work forward in honor of my brother, George Floyd.”
The internship is for two semesters and will be for Black male students to live and learn together in the university's African American Male Mentorship Program's living learning community.
Jayson Douglas, associate director of the A&M-Commerce Office of Intercultural Engagement & Leadership and adjunct faculty of the College of Innovation & Design, said in a statement, “The vision of the ‘Be His Legacy’ internship program is to offer a one-of-a-kind experience for our Black men interested in all aspects of civic engagement, education, and justice – from voter engagement and education to PR and marketing, to lobbying and fundraising.”
The internship begins next January.
On May 25, George Floyd died after Derek Chauvin pinned him down kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. Two other officers helped while one stood by and watched. His death led to protests and demonstrations both in the United States and abroad shining a light on the injustices of Black men and women unjustly killed by white law enforcement officers.
In June, Chauvin was charged with first degree murder, while the three other officers involved in Floyd's death — J. Alexander Kueng, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane — were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. All four officers were relieved from their positions at the Minneapolis Police Department.
All men are now out on bail. Chauvin is reportedly allowed to leave the state of Minnesota due to “safety concerns.” The trial for all four men is currently scheduled for March 2021. It's not yet determined if all four will be tried together, or separately.
BET has been covering every angle of the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and other social justice cases and the subsequent aftermath and protests. For our continuing coverage, click here.
