By: Maximillian Boudreaux 

Newark, New Jersey is honoring the memory of George Floyd with a statue in front of Newark’s City Hall on Wednesday.  

The unveiling of the 700-pound bronze statue was attended by Mayor Ras Baraka, actor and filmmaker Leon Pickney, who had the statue commissioned and Stanley Watts, who sculpted the masterpiece. The statue was donated to the city of Newark.  

“Hopefully when people walk by and they see it, and they participate, hopefully it inspires them to become active in the struggles that are happening right here in Newark and right here in New Jersey,” Baraka said. 

After police officers murdered Floyd on the streets of Minneapolis, his death sparked a global movement for racial justice.  

The unveiling of this statue coincides with the celebration of Juneteenth.  

The statue will sit outside of City Hall for at least one year.