On the Fifth Anniversary of George Floyd’s Death

We asked author Shannon Gibney to explain the origin story of her storybook for kids about the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police on May 25, 2020.

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My daughter was six when George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, while other Minneapolis police officers looked on. I was watching my daughter navigate all of this. She was also trying to process the uprisings, which we were in the middle of because we live in the Powderhorn neighborhood of South Minneapolis. Particularly as a young Black girl, and as a blossoming visual artist, she struggled to find a way through.

Our family went to George Floyd Square, as does the family in the storybook. It was a healing community space of activism and resistance, as it is for the family depicted.

My hope is that We Miss You, George Floyd will create space for children, caregivers, and adults from all backgrounds to discuss and continue to work through the trauma of that time, and to make new connections through art and community.

We Miss You, George Floyd (University of Minnesota Press), illustrated by Leeya Rose Jackson,is available at upress.umn.edu