5 years later, George Floyd's daughter Gianna shares her life's purpose: 'I want to help people'
HOUSTON, Texas -- It was five years ago that Houston native George Floyd's death ricocheted around the world -- sparking protests, marches, and demands for racial justice. In the midst of it all, the world met little Gianna Floyd, then just 6 years old.
George Floyd's daughter uttered the famous phrase, "Daddy changed the world."
Now, at the age of 11, she sat down with ABC13 for an interview to talk about what that phrase means.
"I want to help people," said the now 6th grader. Gianna bears a striking resemblance to her father, and she says people tell her almost daily.
Gianna Floyd visited with President Joe Biden on the one-year anniversary of her father’s death
In fact, reminders of George Floyd are everywhere in the home she shares with her mother and baby sister. There are photos of George holding Gianna as a baby with her mother, Roxie Washington. There are photos and videos of Gianna's travels after his death. And artist depictions of the life they shared hang from walls or are displayed on shelves.
"I just think they're really beautiful. They don't make me cry or anything," Gianna said of these mementos. "They're just really beautiful, I just like them."
Gianna's mother, Roxie Washington, is determined to keep the memories in the forefront.
"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," she said.
Barely a day goes by that Gianna doesn't hear about how her father's death sparked conversations about racial injustice, and the voices are not always kind. She sees the social media posts and the news commentary.
"The only thing that I wish they didn't say is that, 'Oh, he just died for money and stuff like that.' It's not really nice to say something like that," she said.
Instead, Gianna wants to focus on personal goals. Even though she's just in middle school, she is to work on positive change.
"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.
Gianna has already decided that for her, the best way to continue the movement her father began is to become a doctor. She wants to help people.
"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.
The mother and daughter have also established the George and Gianna Floyd Foundation with plans to build a community center bearing his name.
"The legacy of George Floyd is going to be to give back to our community and build our community back up," Roxie said. "Gianna wants a community center so bad. She wants to do everything."
Roxie Washington says she's spent the past five years doing her best to protect her daughter from the outside pressures. She wanted Gianna to focus on growing up, and now she also has a baby sister to dote on. Together, the three of them have focused on the joys of life. But now, the family feels it's almost time to start speaking out more.
For Gianna, the memories of her father give her purpose.
"It's okay to lose a loved one, and you're always going to see them one day again," she said.
2 comments:
George Floyd was a common criminal. A convicted felon. Just ask his crime victims if they believe he is a Saint.
Daddy is a much better meal ticket dead than he ever was alive.
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