George Floyd’s Family Meets With Biden, Lawmakers, On One-Year Anniversary Of His Death

On the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death, President Joe Biden met with his family at the White House to discuss policing reform. The family also met with other key lawmakers on Tuesday.

Biden had hoped to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act before the first anniversary. The bill passed through the House but has been opposed by all Republicans in the evenly split Senate. Biden has not provided an updated timeline on when he thinks the legislation will be passed.

In between meetings on Capitol Hill, the family met privately with Biden in the Oval Office, TMZ reports. Floyd’s nephew, Brandon Williams, told the outlet the President came across as sincere in wanting to help the family. ABC News reports that Biden treated Floyd’s daughter Gianna to ice cream and Cheetos and showed the family around the White House.

Following the meeting, Biden tweeted out a statement, calling last month’s conviction “a step toward justice” and calling Floyd’s family courageous. 

It’s been one year since George Floyd was murdered. In that time, George’s family has shown extraordinary courage. Last month’s conviction was a step towards justice – but we cannot stop there.

We face an inflection point. We have to act.

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 25, 2021

Rapper Lil Baby then joined Floyd’s family on Capitol Hill, where they expressed this is the closest they’ve felt to “meaningful change” while waiting for reform. Nancy Pelosi gifted Gianna a coin, signifying an open invitation to visit the Capitol whenever she wants.

George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, sparking nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. Chauvin was convicted of murder last month and is scheduled to be sentenced in June.