Congressional Hunger Center’s Statement on Verdict in Murder of George Floyd

Statement

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2021 — The Congressional Hunger Center is gratified to learn that justice has been served in the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. This conviction is a critical point in our ongoing national reckoning with the legacy of centuries of racism, embedded deep in the structures of our society.

Black Americans are disproportionately at risk for all manner of harm, from violent encounters with police to poverty and food and nutrition insecurity. Systemic racism is at the root of all these disparities: we cannot achieve a truly just society free from hunger without also committing to dismantling racism in all its forms, from the violent and visceral to the invisible and insidious.

Tuesday’s verdict represents the end of a single case, but one whose meaning echoes far beyond the walls of a courtroom in Hennepin County. Mr. Floyd’s murder drove people across the nation and the world to grieve, to reflect, and to take action in opposition to racial inequity and cruel violence. Let the small solace provided by this jury’s decision—a glimpse at a more just world—likewise inspire us to continue our shared work toward a world where no one’s health or opportunities are determined by race, and where every person has financial freedom and full access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food.

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