He Had a Daughter Called Gigi

George Floyd had a daughter called Gigi. She is six years old. He also had a son named Quincy, a brother named Philonese, a cousin named Tera, and an uncle named Selwyn. He and Courteney were engaged to be married. George was a Texan, like me. A star on his high school football team, he later started a basketball ministry in his neighborhood. He was humble, cheerful, and likeable. He was forgiving.

David Dorn was protecting a friend’s store when he was shot and killed amidst looting in St. Louis yesterday. Retired from the police force after more than 38 years, David had a wife named Ann Marie, a son named Brian as well as four more children and 10 grandchildren. He mentored youth and helped a young man out of a life of poverty and into a life as a police officer. He was fun, well liked, and respected. He was forgiving.

When we get to know someone …
We see that they aren’t simply a statistic. They are not just a name. They are more than a face. They transcend a demographic. Their life is more than a single incident.

When we get to know someone …
We realize that they are a human being. They have family, friends, a personality, opinions, beliefs, talents, and dreams. They care about certain things. They have a past. They deserve a future.

When we get to know someone …
We begin to care. We are concerned with them. We feel connected to them. We celebrate their joys. We mourn their losses. We grieve when they are gone.

I didn’t know George or David, and chances are that you didn’t either. Somehow, though, getting to know them just this little bit seems to help. It helps us transcend the barrage of news and social media — rising above the crossfire of vitriol and cold data to a plane of deeper reality. It allows us to elude the greed and hypocrisy of opportunists and find real, good people. Getting to know George and David just this little bit helps us regard humanity and, in doing so, find our own.

“George Floyd is not just a name, not just a meme, and not just something to be chanted. George Floyd was a real person.”

Justin Miller