Of Protest and Paradox: Leading DEI in Minnesota

Background

On May 25th, 2020, police were dispatched to Cup Foods, a convenience store on Minneapolis’ south side, regarding a counterfeit $20 bill. At the scene, police apprehended and handcuffed George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who had moved to Minnesota in 2014. While Floyd was handcuffed, face down on the ground, Derek Chauvin, a 19-year veteran officer, forced his knee into Floyd’s neck and kept it there for over nine minutes. Floyd repeatedly yelled that he was not able to breathe and was in pain. An ambulance would eventually respond, but Chauvin kept his knee in Floyd’s neck a whole minute after they arrived. Floyd had lost consciousness and would be pronounced dead approximately one hour later (BBC, 2020).

If not for a number of key circumstances, the incident may not have been more than a blip on the radar. First, the time of year meant that there was enough light to see at night and warm enough that people could watch and, later, protest. Second, the pandemic meant that many people were at or near home while on lockdown. Third, it was the latest in a string of racist incidents that year that ended with innocent Black people dying. In February 2020, Ahmaud Arbery was jogging in a neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia. Three white men would later be convicted of his murder, largely because it was caught on video. The following month, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot in her own apartment in a botched police raid in Louisville, KY. No charges were initially filed against the officer, causing unrest and anger across the world. By the time George Floyd was murdered, everything seemed to come to a head. By May 26, 2020, local protestors were already in the streets. Their anger was further provoked by the militarized police presence. Journalists and civilians were injured in the chaos. Many businesses and some residences were damaged or burned to the ground. The protests would spread across the world and last weeks. By June 3rd, over 200 US cities had imposed curfews, and over 62,000 national guard personnel had been deployed (Sternlicht, 2020; Warren and Hadden, 2020). Professional athletes and celebrities joined protests. Major media outlets provided round-the-clock coverage. And the biggest corporations in the world vowed to stamp out racism in their organizations. It was the wildest summer I had ever experienced.