One Year After George Floyd’s Murder
Community events of healing
- May 24-27: Sweet Potato Comfort Pie is organizing memorials of pie baking and distribution, healing workshops, and more
- May 25: The YWCA of Saint Paul offers a morning of reflection, 9-9:15 a.m.
Como Community Council Statement on the Anniversary of the Murder of George Floyd
Last year in May, in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police, the District 10 Como Community Council focused on supporting community action to address immediate needs: as neighbors, we brought food, helped in cleanup efforts across Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and cared for one another as we mourned.
This year in May, the community council finds itself in deep reflection about the daily and long-term work that is necessary to dismantle the systems of white supremacy that lie at the intersection of so much of the inequity in our community: education disparities between students of color and white students; the unacceptably high rate of maternal mortality for Black mothers; unemployment rates that are three times higher in the Twin Cities Metro for Black residents than for white residents; the generational wealth that has been denied to homeowners of color through widespread racial covenants and redlining; the prevalence of hate crimes experienced by our Asian American and Pacific Islander neighbors. The list, as we know and no longer can deny, goes on.
As an organization, we grapple with our own history, knowing that district councils across the city — including D10 — have traditionally been led by and served the interests of white homeowners. As a neighborhood, we see the clear, causal line between the demographics of Como today and the pox of racial covenants that cover our corner of the city. As a board, we understand the mandate to become agents of real, lasting change.
In the past year, we have begun to shift the trajectory of our work, so that racial equity informs the questions we ask ourselves before we move forward with a project or vote. In July of 2020, we founded the D10 Anti-Racism Work Group, which makes internal process recommendations to the board and works with our three standing committees and other partners to advance racial equity. Our Sunday Series has offered educational opportunities to Como residents on topics such as justice reform and the racial covenants uncovered by Mapping Prejudice. We voted on new mission and vision statements that better reflect our recognition of the past and the inclusive future we commit to creating.
There is more work to do to get us to that future. As an organization, we see this first anniversary of George Floyd’s killing as a time to rededicate ourselves to creating a Como that is truly home to all who wish to make it so. We invite you to reflect with us, to join us in this work, and to hold us accountable as we move forward, together.