The mission of the Rise & Remember is to conserve stories of resistance to racial injustice and to curate spaces for all people to grieve, pay respect, and be a voice for justice. On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was lynched by the Minneapolis Police Department. People protested all over the world in one of the largest social protests in modern history. At the corner where Mr. Floyd took his last breath – 38th and Chicago Ave – neighbors gathered, blocked the intersection from car traffic, and an organic memorial spanning four square blocks emerged. Thousands of people added their personal voices of protest and grief to the memorial through offerings of protest signs, crucifixes, buddhas, candles, tobacco, crystals, photographs, drawings, and prayers. Large sculptures, murals, billboards of protest art and installations (of which two span the width of a city block) were erected, and names of other victims of state-sanctioned violence were lifted up through protest art. The four square city blocks–now known as George Floyd Square–became a sacred space for public grief, cared for by an interfaith volunteer coalition of neighbors, deemed Memorial Caretakers. They collaborated with the family to create Rise & Remember, which was launched on his birthday: October 14, 2020.

This position aims to help the organization prepare for its annual festival. Most people are familiar with the memorial at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, MN. Every year, Rise & Remember hosts a cultural festival for people to engage in black protest culture through the arts, wellness, and business entrepreneurship. This year, we will expand our Kid Zone by adding a Youth Entrepreneurship Area. In addition to supporting the development of these areas, the interns will have an opportunity to learn behind the scenes of creating a racial justice festival.