Biden says 'now is the time for racial justice' at George Floyd's funeral
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Former Vice President Joe Biden remotely delivered remarks at George Floyd's funeral in Houston on Tuesday after meeting with his family earlier this week, calling for racial justice and saying the U.S. can't "turn away" from racism.
Biden spoke via a pretaped video message at the funeral, which took place at the Fountain of Praise church just over two weeks after Floyd's killing in police custody set off a wave of protests across the country.
"To George's family and friends, Jill and I know the deep hole in your hearts when you bury a piece of your soul deep in this Earth," Biden said. "As I've said to you privately, we know. We know you will never feel the same again."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Floyd's family has had to grieve in public, which Biden called a "burden, a burden that is now your purpose to change the world for the better in the name of George Floyd."
In the wake of Floyd's killing, Biden said the U.S. can't "once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul," and "now is the time for racial justice."
"Because when there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America," Biden said.
The Democratic presidential nominee previously met with Floyd's family in person, after which attorney Benjamin Crump said he "listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Members of Floyd's family also delivered powerful remarks at the funeral. His niece vowed "justice will be served" and his brother thanked God for "giving me my own personal superman." Brendan Morrow
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Ex-South Korean leader gets life sentence for insurrectionSpeed Read South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison over his declaration of martial law in 2024
-
At least 8 dead in California’s deadliest avalancheSpeed Read The avalanche near Lake Tahoe was the deadliest in modern California history and the worst in the US since 1981
-
Political cartoons for February 19Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include a suspicious package, a piece of the cake, and more
-
Maxwell pleads 5th, offers Epstein answers for pardonSpeed Read She offered to talk only if she first received a pardon from President Donald Trump
-
Hong Kong jails democracy advocate Jimmy LaiSpeed Read The former media tycoon was sentenced to 20 years in prison
-
Ex-Illinois deputy gets 20 years for Massey murderSpeed Read Sean Grayson was sentenced for the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey
-
Sole suspect in Brown, MIT shootings found deadSpeed Read The mass shooting suspect, a former Brown grad student, died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Trump pardons crypto titan who enriched familySpeed Read Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from LouvreSpeed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 yearsSpeed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
