George Floyd leaves many fighters seeking freedom for the oppressed
A girl holds her fist in the air while visiting the memorial for George Floyd on June 9, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Residents of the community, and people around the world, have come together in calling for an end to police brutality after the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25th. PHOTO | BRANDON BELL | GETTY IMAGES | AFP
As countless people worldwide protested the murder of unarmed African-American, George Floyd, on May 25 by a white policeman in the US, the absence of African protestors was initially — throughout the month of May — glaringly obvious and heart wrenching.
The crisp African Union statement from chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat on May 29, therefore, provided relief. The statement condemned Floyd’s murder by law enforcement officers, reiterated the “AU’s rejection of the continuing discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the US” and brought out an often forgotten detail, that, at the 1964 First Assembly Meeting of African Heads of State and Government held in Cairo, Egypt, the Organisation of African Unity passed the resolution on Racial Discrimination in America.
