'Now Is the Time for Racial Justice,' Biden Tells Floyd Funeral

Floyd to be buried next to his mother after private service in Houston
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 9, 2020 12:14 PM CDT
Updated Jun 9, 2020 2:58 PM CDT
George Floyd Will Be Buried Next to His Mother
Family members of George Floyd pause at the casket.   (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, Pool)

George Floyd called out for his mother in the final moments of his life, and he will be laid to rest next to her in the Houston suburb of Pearland, reports the AP. Family and friends gathered Tuesday for a private funeral in Houston at the Fountain of Praise church. "It feels like a part of history, something I want my niece to witness," Tamecia Dogbe, one of dozens of people gathered outside the church, told the Guardian. “Ten years from now, she might be able to see this in a history book." They drove more than two hours from Austin to pay their respects. The Rev. Al Sharpton led the church service, which came a day after roughly 6,000 people in Houston paid their respects to Floyd. In a taped address, Joe Biden offered his condolences to Floyd's family and said the death should be a turning point in the fight against racism, NBC reports.

"Now is the time for racial justice," Biden said. "That's the answer we must give to our children when they ask why. Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America." Other speakers at the service included Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Democratic Reps. Al Green and Sheila Jackson Lee. "Third Ward, Cuney Homes, that's where he was born at," Floyd's brother, Rodney, told mourners, referring to the public housing project where Floyd grew up. "But everybody is going to remember him around the world. He is going to change the world." (More George Floyd stories.)

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