COSTA MESA, Calif. , Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The recent death, of Sonya Massey, an Illinois unarmed black woman killed July 6th in her home by police responding to a 911 call, became the storyline of the closing ceremony of The George Floyd Uprising Exhibit from Minneapolis to Phoenix Saturday, July 27, 2024, as artists, politicians, pastors, leaders, vendors, and the community gathered at the ASU Art Museum to promote racial justice, share stories, grieve, and pay respect.
With Butchy Austin playing saxophone, Ed Norwood (author of Be A Giant Killer: “Overcoming Your Everyday Goliaths), led a powerful candlelight vigil for Massey and Floyd, up a procession of stairs with the names of Arizona victims that have lost their lives to senseless, unnecessary, excessive, deadly, and abusive police force.
“Our family is no stranger to tragedy,” said Norwood. “As a child, at the age of eight, we lost twenty-seven relatives in the Jonestown Guyana Massacre, behind Jim Jones, which was the largest loss of US civilian lives before 9/11. But in tragedy, our greatest strength is revealed. We pray. We rise. We remember. We march. We give. We create. We survive. We love. We heal. We make boundaries. We speak up. We defy the voices that silence us. We refuse to be shaken.”
Althea and Julana Norwood of the acclaimed organization, Resale Therapy, collaborated to meticulously craft an immersive and unforgettable day to showcase this historic closing event.
Speakers included:
- Rashad Shabazz from the Center for Work and Democracy
- Paris Stevens, George Floyd’s cousin
- Truth B Told, Spoken Word Artist and Founder of Culture Hub Phoenix.
- Elsa Gebreyohanes & Hanan Robinson of BLM Phoenix
- Jordan Powell-Karis, who created the iconic fist sculpture in George Floyd Square
- Ben Taylor, a Phoenix Civil Rights Attorney
- Beretta and Jevin Hodge, Councilmember and AZ House of Representatives
- Jeanelle Austin, Executive Director of Rise and Remember
About Rise and Remember
Rise and Remember exists to preserve and conserve stories of resistance to racial injustice, to hold in remembrance those we have lost to the pervasive impacts of systemic racism, and curate spaces for people to grieve, pay respect, and pursue racial justice and equity.
https://riseandremember.org/rise-remember/
About ASU Art Museum
ASU Art Museum is part of Arizona State University (ASU), a public research university with a charter that states, “we are measured not by whom we exclude, but rather by whom we include and how they succeed.”
https://asuartmuseum.org/
About Resale Therapy
Resale Therapy is a new online and pop-up boutique located in Arizona inspired by the fashion community, that promotes sustainability and decreases the negative impacts of fast fashion by upcycling durable clothing from all different eras giving customers countless options when styling.
https://resaletherapyusa.com/
About Ed Norwood
Author Ed Norwood has done hundreds of media interviews and lectures worldwide, focusing on leadership development, branding, storytelling, the lessons of the Jonestown Tragedy, and healthcare advocacy. His book “Be A Giant Killer: Overcoming Your Everyday Goliaths” is a look beyond the front-page headline story of the Jonestown Massacre, to the back stories of those who died, and how we too can overcome childhood trauma, shame, bad family history, and the fatal mistakes of our predecessors. Ed is available for interviews by emailing Debbie Feria (
381374@email4pr.com
)
Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Giant-Killer-Overcoming-Everyday/dp/1950948927
Contact:
Josiah Norwood
7149956926
381374@email4pr.com
SOURCE Ed Norwood