‘A global outcry’: NC-based George Floyd family nonprofit talks new name, future plans

A nonprofit run by members of George Floyd’s family is changing its name to better reflect the work it plans to do in promoting racial equity in North Carolina.

The Raleigh-based Floyd Family Center for Social Equity dropped its former name, The George Floyd Memorial Center, in part to distinguish itself from other organizations named for George Floyd.

After Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020 — a killing that launched a wave of racial justice protests and reforms across the country — the nonprofit was formed with the hopes of addressing inequities in North Carolina. Floyd was born in North Carolina, and much of his extended family lives here.

“We recognized immediately that the name George Floyd is going to be heard all over the world, it’s going to carry some weight, it’s going to have some impact,” said Thomas McLaurin, the center’s executive director, in an interview. “We wanted to be a part of that and take that name and use it for good.”

McLaurin, one of Floyd’s first cousins, currently lives in Atlanta. He previously lived in Raleigh and is an alumnus of East Carolina University and North Carolina Central University.

Beyond planning a name change, McLaurin said the group has identified programming that the Floyd Center will launch next year. This includes an empowerment and education program for marginalized youth to be titled City Blocks, a scholarship program and a food pantry called Feeding the Spirit.

“Primarily, what we’ve been doing since the inception is doing a lot of speaking, a lot of goodwill branching out and letting people know who we are and what we’re about,” McLaurin said.

Raising money for programming

The nonprofit is currently securing financial support from partners and fundraising to launch next year’s programs.

“We are truly a grassroots organization ... we’re going to take the time necessary to build it organically from the ground up,” said Roger Floyd, George Floyd’s uncle and the Floyd Center’s chief impact officer.

Roger Floyd, who lives in Raleigh, noted that the center’s founders did not receive funds from a settlement with his nephew’s immediate family members. He hopes that the name change will provide clarity for people who want to identify which Floyd family organization to support.

Other family organizations include the George Floyd Memorial Foundation in Mooresville and the George Floyd Global Memorial in Minneapolis.

Part of the Floyd Center’s programming aims to address criminal justice reform, encourage political engagement and work to solve mental health issues among youth in North Carolina.

“We want to basically pursue and enhance marginalized communities and individuals to make that difference,” Roger Floyd said. “Because it’s about impact. How do you do that positively? You engage a community, you engage a city, you engage a state, you engage our country, because this is a global outcry and change is inevitable. But it has to be systematically done.”

McLaurin said the center hopes to start the City Blocks youth support program and Feeding the Spirit food pantry in the spring of 2023. Feeding the Spirit is slated to serve people in Wake, Durham, Chatham and Johnston counties.

“One of the things that we stood on is that we weren’t going to be a bitter family,” said Roger Floyd. “We weren’t going to be bitter victims, but rather use the momentum, global outcry and outrage over George Floyd’s death and become become a vessel to change in the communities from the perpetual trauma to transformation.”