Texas Longhorn Football Players March to the State Capitol in Honor of George Floyd

By Danielle Lopez in 40 Acres, Sept | Oct 2020 on September 1, 2020 at 2:13 pm | No Comments

June 4, 2020; Austin, TX, USA; Members of the Texas Longhorns march to the Texas State Capitol from the UT Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lola Gomez/American Statesman via USA TODAY NETWORK

Updated 9/6/20

After the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25, 2020, protests calling for an end to police brutality erupted across the nation, re-energizing the Black Lives Matter movement that began in 2013. Mid-pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people marched in all 50 states demanding justice for the deaths of Black people at the hands of police. For weeks, Texas football players voiced their thoughts on Floyd’s death and racism in the U.S. via social media. On June 1, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide.

Then on June 4, in a demonstration of unity, a large group of Longhorns marched from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to the Texas State Capitol alongside head coach Tom Herman and Austin police officers. Together, they took a knee in silence for nine minutes in remembrance of Floyd, who was held on the ground for eight minutes, 46 seconds before dying.

“To my white friends and to my white family, I want to ask you this question: What if it was somebody that you loved? What if it was somebody else close to you?” Texas junior safety Caden Sterns said to the group. “Again, like I said to my white friends and my family, what if it was me?”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story used the word “murder” to describe the circumstances around the death of George Floyd. Per the Associated Press, “murder” should only be used in reference to cases that have been tried in a court of law. The phrasing in the article has been updated. The Alcalde regrets the error.