05/25/2026
Today marks 6 years since we all witnessed the public murder of George Floyd, followed by a massive uprising in support of Black and brown lives. Sadly, the fight continues, perhaps even more urgently today.
We reflect on this moment with this 2020 Stoop Story with Laurence, Reggie, grandma Sheila, and kids, Simon, Emanuel and Esther in .
On his 18th birthday, Simon chalked this mural of on the front of his brownstone. In his words, “I was inspired by a mural I saw online, and wanted to make my own. Prejudice and racial bias are often very nuanced. There’s a lot you can do, in terms of the things you say and do, that can help combat racism and racial bias.”
Emanuel, 16: “Everyone saw what happened to George Floyd, and that’s why people are protesting. We want a culture change.”
Laurence: ”Reggie and I are both immigrants—he was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica and I was born and raised in Paris, France. We both landed in NYC in our late teens and never left. As parents of Black children, we’ve always been concerned with how they are perceived in the world. We’ve not been blind to how differently people treat BIPOC and our own children, no matter how well meaning they are. Our teenage boys know that they won’t be treated the same as their white peers, and are keenly aware that they could be the target of police violence.
My grandparents and mother were very active civil rights’ activists in 1950s & 1960s in New Jersey. The protests are a manifestation of how people are feeling about the lack of progress and change in this country. It’s a collective ‘Why are we here again?’ I continue to educate myself in order to better understand the systemic racism in American society. These protests are important. Public and private conversations are happening. Without dialogue, there is no liberation. ‘If the structure does not permit dialogue the structure must be changed.” — Paulo Freire
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BlackLivesMatterBK
