George Floyd’s aunt to discuss new memoir of faith, hope and bravery at MSUM
Tuesday, Feb. 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Roland Dille Center for the Arts Gaede Stage | Free public event but reservations are encouraged at mnstate.edu/tickets | A book signing will follow the talk. Books will be available for cash-only purchase by Barnes & Noble.
Angela Harrelson shares the behind-the-scenes story of Floyd’s family, and how the world can find a solution to racism through his death. The Feb. 28 event is free and open to the public.
By C.S. Hagen
February 21, 2023, Inforum (reprinted with permission)
FARGO — Angela Harrelson is old school. Daily journals she wrote led to her putting pen to paper for a book about her nephew George Floyd.
The new book, ” Lift Your Voice: How My Nephew George Floyd’s Murder Changed The World,” a memoir of faith, hope, and bravery, will be the topic of discussion on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Minnesota State University Moorhead in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Gaede Stage.
In the book, Harrelson shares the behind-the-scenes story of Floyd’s family — how he lived and why he died — and how the world can find a solution to racism through his death, according to a press release from MSUM.
A book signing will follow Harrelson’s talk, which begins at 7:30 p.m., and books will be available for cash-only purchase by Barnes & Noble.
Harrelson is also the co-founder and co-chair of the George Floyd Global Memorial , whose vision is to bring community development to Minneapolis and inspire people Floyd, who was called by his middle name Perry by close family members, was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin during an arrest on May 25, 2020. Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Chauvin was convicted more than a year later of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Floyd’s murder sparked a nationwide movement for racial justice and police reform. The Fargo-Moorhead area saw protests as a result, which shed light on the police environment in Fargo.
Writing the book was the furthest thing from Harrelson’s mind, she told The Forum. “My heart was filled with so many different emotions. The family, we are close, but we were all going through this pain and grieving in our own individual ways.”
So she started journaling, something she’s always done. “But this was different, because I was trying to find a way to make sense somehow, or find a way of just coping,” she said. “Putting things in black and white in front of me, that was a way for me to heal and deal with it.”
Harrelson ended up writing the whole book in pencil and paper.
“I am old fashioned,” she said.
Growing up poor, and one of 13 brothers and sisters raised in a shack in the North Carolina woods, her first experience with writing came in the third grade, when she was assigned to write a short essay about the importance of electricity.to pursue racial justice worldwide.
“Growing up we had very little electricity, we had an outhouse, and an old rickety shack. We had a well to pump our water,” she said, noting electricity to her meant she had something to eat and something to keep her warm.
Harrelson took first place for her essay, and later went on to become the first in her family to go to college, to be commissioned into the military and have a career as a professional nurse.
Along the way, she and her family were exposed to the harshest forms of racism, according to the press release — from her childhood riding the school bus, where white children would make the Black children stand, to racist commanding officers in the Air Force who told her they wanted her to fail.
“Our family has had death threats, and there are always going to be people who feel this way. But the strangest thing is that they don’t know you personally, they just know a negative stereotype that they hear and they’re not willing to give you a chance,” Harrelson said.
Her experience and the book she wrote is not about being anti-white. “It’s always been about equality and having humanity for one another. If you strip the colors away, black and white, that’s what it’s always been about,” she said.
“None of us (are) perfect. I don’t have a hate for people, because of my faith, I always feel there is room for redemption,” Harrelson said. “We are not unified by hate, we are unified by love.”
If you go:
What: Lift Your Voice: Discussion with Angela Harrelson, George Floyd’s aunt. Listen to Harrelson speak about her memoir, her life experiences, her family and engage in a moderated discussion.
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Where: Gaede Stage, Roland Dille Center for the Arts at Minnesota State University Moorhead, 801 13th St. S.
Info: The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are encouraged at mnstate.edu/tickets.