A year after George Floyd s death, Pennsylvanians are still fighting for change
As Chad Dion Lassiter reflects on the civil rights movement during the last year, he thinks of two moments in recent history that shaped where we are today.
On Aug. 26, 2016, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the playing of the national anthem before the team s third preseason game. The following week, he kneeled.
His silent protest against racial injustice set off a nationwide debate that included former President Donald Trump calling on NFL owners to fire players who kneeled during the anthem.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed outside of a grocery store by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
A week after the Pennsylvania primary, the House State Government Committee on Tuesday advanced a resolution to remove parts of Gov. Tom Wolf s emergency orders.
The resolution, which passed the committee 15-10, is a response to the May 18 primary results in which the majority of voters chose to limit the governor s executive powers and hand more control of disaster declarations to the legislative branch.
Pennsylvanians spoke loud and clear in the primary, said committee chair Rep. Seth Grove, R-York County, as he introduced House Resolution 106.
The resolution is sponsored by House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, to end what he describes as the most destructive parts of Wolf s initial March 6, 2020, disaster declaration for COVID-19.