Bearing Witness with Anthony and Georgia

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This week, we recap the first week of the trial and check-in with Mrs. Georgia and Lawyer and Activist Nekima Levy Armstrong on how they are staying strong and grounded as they relive the traumatic murder of George Floyd through the trial procedings.

Link to Nekima Levy Armstrong’s article: tinyurl.com/NLAarticle 

Link to bills in front of the Minnesota Legislature: mncoalition.org

You can find out more about this show and the Racial Reckoning project at RacialReckoningMN.org - Including Daily trial updates

ANTHONY’S INTRO:

“This is for the ones who survived America By any means necessary. And the ones who didn’t

This is for the undeniable. 

The ones who scored with chains on one hand and faith in the other”

-Kwame Alexander, “The Undefeated”

With the jury seated and the trial beginning, attention will now turn towards the arguments and trial procedures that many of us will be viewing in depth for the first time. As we inevitably, and despite our deepest attempt to not get hopes up, peak at the possibility that there will be some level of accountability for the actions on display in the videotaped killing of George Floyd, we see yet more video of violent encounters with officers drawing our attention to the daily struggle for a nation that works for us. With the frustrations we will encounter when arguments begin, one thing is clear, we will need our healers. Those in community who hit the ground when wounds are made to remind of who we are as a people, and to invite us to connect through our shared stories. This episode we will recap with Mrs. Georgia and engage with two of our community healers Ms. Rose Mcgee of Sweet Potato Comfort Pies about her work utilizing the sacred desert of our culture to invite us to heal as a community as we face these struggles, And Mrs. Kimberly Hand Jones who’s son Cordale Handy was killed by SPPD in 2017 and Founder of Mother's Banquet & donates grave markers to other families who lose loved one to police.

Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice is a journalism initiative from Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities, KMOJ Radio, and the Minnesota Humanities Center covering the trials of the officers accused of killing George Floyd, the community’s reaction, and exploring the changes needed to create a more just society. The project employs seasoned reporters, as well as up-and-coming broadcast journalists from BIPOC communities, to create daily updates, weekly updates in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish, as well as in-depth weekly radio shows and podcasts exploring criminal justice reform, community healing, community resiliency, and more. The Minnesota Humanities Center will use the content that’s created to engage grassroots leaders from BIPOC communities in a series of listening sessions and public events to deepen dialog and spark change on issues arising during the trial. Additionally, the Minnesota Humanities Center will work with youth organizations and schools to provide teachers and students with tools for approaching controversial public issues responsive to current events. The long-term goal of Racial Reckoning: The Arc of Justice is to work toward changing problematic racial narratives in local news media, engage communities, amplify community solutions to narrative change, and empower educators to discuss race in the classroom.