President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris showed "genuine" concern and care for George Floyd's family during a private meeting at the White House on the one-year anniversary of Floyd's murder, according to Floyd's family.
"It was great. He's a genuine guy," Philonise Floyd, George's brother, told reporters after the meeting with Biden, 78, and Harris, 56.
After the meeting, Floyd's brothers Philonise, Rodney, and Terrence, as well as Floyd's nephew Brandon, spoke to the press and urged Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, which is currently pending in the Senate as lawmakers try to reach an agreement with Republicans.
The Floyd family gathering comes one year after George was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of his murder last month.
After meeting the president, the Floyd family will meet with top negotiators on the Senate police reform bill, New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker and South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott.
They will also meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers at the United States Capitol, including California Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who led the charge to pass the police reform bill in the House of Representatives. Biden wanted her meeting with Floyd's family to be private, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, "to have a real conversation and preserve it with the family."
Floyd's death sparked global outrage against racial injustice and police brutality.
"Being here today is an honor," Terrence, Floyd's brother, told reporters on Tuesday. "To meet with the president and the vice president and for them to show concern for our family and for them to actually give an ear to our concerns and how we feel about the situation." "I'm grateful for that," he added.
Biden has previously met with the Floyd family, the first time in June 2020, when he traveled to Houston to offer condolences ahead of Floyd's funeral. The President has talked with members of the family multiple times in the previous year, most notably last month after the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer.
Chauvin was found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
"Black men, in particular, have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human. Their lives must be valued in our nation. Full stop," Biden said then.
Floyd's family announced on Tuesday that they are establishing The George Floyd Community Benevolence Fund with $500,000 from their $27 million settlement with the city of Minneapolis. The fund, located at 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis, will provide grants to organizations and businesses that serve the community. Floyd died at the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.