Nine days after George Perry Floyd Jr. was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel announced a systemwide scholarship honoring his memory.

Floyd, who had five children and two grandchildren, grew up in Houston and moved to Minneapolis in 2014, where he worked as a truck driver and security guard. During his memorial service, universities nationwide were called upon to create scholarships in his honor to help create a more just and equitable world.

The University of Minnesota Scholarship in honor of George Floyd supports underrepresented students, including the Black or African American leaders of tomorrow.

Read about the first two recipients:

Rayna Taylor, a senior at the College of Liberal Arts majoring in technical writing and communications.

Krysjahn Johnson, a junior at the University of Minnesota Rochester majoring in health sciences.

Also hear from Fanta Diallo, ’20 B.S., who worked with fellow students and University of Minnesota leadership to revise the scholarship criteria, and meet Catlan McCurdy and Sanjiv Laud who established the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in Law.

In addition, two other scholarships at the University honor Floyd’s memory:

·        University of Minnesota Duluth Scholarship in honor of George Floyd

·        Carlson School of Management Scholarship in honor of George Floyd