The announcement on April 20 of Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd was believed by many to be a step in the right direction.
Members of Southeastern’s chapters of the NAACP and Black Student Union have shared their thoughts on not only the guilty verdict, but what people can do moving forward. While this verdict showed that accountability can be achieved, the same cannot be said for many other similar cases.
NAACP member and freshman computer science major Irvin Ussin took some time to discuss his reaction to the verdict.
“I was glad that we were able to get some accountability, but there is still work to be done,” said Ussin.
Last week, “Dark Skinned Pavement” made its way to the Vonnie Borden Theatre stage, reflecting similar incidents from the past few months involving police brutality and protests.
The play premiered from April 27-30 at 7:30 p.m. Written by TJ Young, the winner of the Inkslinger Playwriting Competition, the play highlights the grievances of a Black American family who lost their son to police brutality.
Faculty member and director Anne-Liese Fox works for the theatre department and was pleased with the topic and attention that the play drew in on campus.
“I just felt it really spoke to the times because we have been having a lot of incidents lately that deserve to be talked about, and his play really brought that out. It was so well written,” said Fox.