George Floyd‘s 11-year-old daughter, Gianna, reveals how her father’s death, which occurred five years ago on Sunday, still impacts her and her life’s purpose.
In a recent interview with The Minnesota Star Tribune, Gianna said that being five years without her father is “hard.” She reflects on life without him, sharing the challenges she faces, including being teased at school because of who her father was.
“This might sound mean, but it’s not, though,” she said regarding how her family lets her speak for herself about the tragedy. “Them not talking about it that much? That makes me feel OK.”
The Tribune piece, written by Myron Medcalf, also speaks to how Gianna has been bullied at school. It reads, “They’ve teased her at school. They know about her father and the nasty things bad people say about him, so they repeat those words. Blame the adults. Remember, hate is a disease and their children have caught it, too. Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington, shows restraint as she grapples with whether she should allow her daughter to stand up for herself or dash to the school to demand a solution. But we can only do so much to save our children from their worst days.”
Despite growing up without her father, Gianna remains focused on bringing about positive change and told ABC 13 that she wants to help others.
“Helping the world might come together as Black and white. Some white people can be nice, some can’t. And it just helps us come all together and be nice to each other,” Gianna said.
The outlet reported that the sixth-grader intends to continue the movement her father began by pursuing a career as a doctor.
“Let’s just say a police hurts a guy, I want to be able to help them and help them to be stronger and stand up to police, that’s rude,” she said.
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Gianna Floyd and her mother are carrying on her father’s legacy
Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington, is determined to preserve her daughter’s father’s legacy while guiding her through difficult moments.
“I tell people all the time, that’s Gianna’s father, but I’m the mother, so I have to create the legacy and then pass it down,” Washington told ABC 13, which reported they’ve established the George and Gianna Floyd Foundation, with plans to build a community center in his honor.
“The legacy of George Floyd is going to be to give back to our community and build our community back up,” Washington said. “Gianna wants a community center so bad. She wants to do everything.”
