McKnight is made up of people who live in, work in, and care about this community. We, too, personally experienced the pain, trauma, and weight of George P. Floyd’s murder, and were impacted by the racial reckoning that ensued. The life of this man, father, brother, son, and friend continue to inspire our commitment to creating the equitable Minnesota that he deserved, and that we envision for everyone.
In anticipation of this anniversary, the Foundation created an internal workgroup to consider how McKnight might honor this moment. As a result of the workgroup’s recommendations, the Foundation announced $1 million in grants to 10 organizations working to build a more welcoming and equitable Minnesota. Learn more about the organizations.
We have also asked our team to reflect on what it means to belong to and care about our community, and on how they want to continue to show up as philanthropic partners, neighbors, and people who are working to advance a more just, creative, and abundant future for all of us. Over the next several weeks, we will update this page with these personal reflections.
George Floyd Made Me Move
I want his memory to move you too.
By Tonya Allen
I moved to Minnesota for a man. And I left my husband in Detroit (temporarily). This may sound as if I went against my morals and feministic principles—but I did not.
I moved here because George Floyd, the man, symbolized the movement.
Are You Willing to Share Your Power?
By Funlola Otukoya
A friend recently asked me
an apparently simple, yet
complex, question: “How comfortable
are you with power?”
In Memoriam
By Kim Anderson
She stands in the shadows. Watching.
Watching as a Black man takes his last breath under the knee of a man who swore to protect and serve his community.
Complexity and Contradiction:On the Ground in Powderhorn
By Tim Murphy
The community metaphorically locked arms and chose bravery, because like so many other others harmed by injustice in the past, we had no choice.
For Artists & Culture Bearers
By Arleta Little
Community is crafted. I thank our creatives and culture bearers:
who loved us out loud and in ceremony…
A Good Cry
By Karyn Sciortino Johnson
A good cry gathers deep in the soul, vibrating up and spilling out a river of hot tears that stream down the face…
