Minnesota group working to preserve the movement sparked by George Floyd's murder
There's a group that has worked hard to preserve plywood murals in Minnesota from the movement sparked by George Floyd's death.
"Memorialize the Movement is an archive," said Leesa Kelly, the executive director of Memorialize the Movement.
Kelly started collecting decorated plywood after the uprising. Once businesses re-opened and didn't know what to do with it, they'd give it to her. She would store them at a warehouse near East Lake Street in Minneapolis.
"In the moment, in 2020, it was a trauma response. Seeing the murals gave me hope. They inspired me. They gave me strength," said Kelly. "The thought of them disappearing from history and just being discarded didn't sit well with me."
Kelly and her team are preparing for their fifth annual "Justice for George" event.
"It's an event for and by the community that gives people space to heal, reflect and learn," said Kelly.
Kelly says there will be performances, vendors and more for Sunday in Phelps Field Park. The murals will also come alive once again. They will be placed on display for everyone.
"The theme is radical joy," said Kelly. "We just wanted to remind people in the midst of chaos, joy can still be found."
This year, they're planning events each day leading up to May 25. A mural walking tour was planned for Wednesday, and a reading with meaning was set for Thursday.
On Friday, the group allowed community members to gather and put those complicated feelings on canvas.
"Linger in a past so special, but also take in the present moment and the progress we've made," said Paula Perez.
"The movement doesn't end because 5 years has passed," said Kelly on the message she hopes to get across.
In a 2018 research study by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, in partnership with the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and Ithaka S+R, less than 4% of U.S. art museum curators are African-American.
