Grieving George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other victims of police brutality

Along with the anger stirred by the police violence against George Floyd, there is much sadness. But unlike the passing of a loved one, for which one has memories to cherish as one moves through the stages of grief, we have only the public aspect of Mr. Floyd, including those last tragic moments of his life, to reflect on.

Into that gap has been poured a significant amount of writing and reflection, including by Mr. Floyd’s own family, which has helpfully offered us guidance on how they’d like their son and brother remembered.

So, as we mourn Mr. Floyd on what some cities are declaring “George Floyd Day” in America, we would like to offer a collection of resources from black authors and subjects who are processing and sharing their grief:

• How a former friend of Mr. Floyd’s worked through his grief, and remembered his old friend

• A black mother reflects on the range of emotions she felt in the aftermath of Mr. Floyd’s death

• Why one LA Times columnist chose to feel in reaction to Mr. Floyd’s death despite years of mistreatment

• Pastor TD Jakes on grieving George Floyd while keeping the calls to action alive (also see the Rev. Al Sharpton’s eulogy for Mr. Floyd, embedded below)

• A reflection on “Continuous Traumatic Stress Syndrome,” the mental health community’s term for the condition people of color experienced in apartheid South Africa.

• How to find an African-American therapist

• Some resources on completing the grief process and joining a virtual grieving group (for this or other concerns) here