As people across America protest in the name of George Floyd, a black man who died after Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, Floyd’s family continues to mourn the loss of a father, brother, and son.
On June 3, Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter appeared on Good Morning America with her mother, Roxie Washington, and said, “I miss him.” When asked what her dad was like she replied, “He played with me.”
Washington added through tears, “Gianna didn’t have to play with nobody else because Daddy was gonna play with her all day long. That was his baby. He loved his little girl.” Washington added that her daughter doesn’t quite understand why the protests are happening. As for why her father is no longer alive, “he died because he couldn’t breathe,” Washington explained to her daughter.
“I hear them. I hear them saying my Daddy’s name,” Washington said Gianna told her. “She don’t know what happened.”
EXCLUSIVE: “I miss him.” George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter speaks out about her dad for first time. https://t.co/bBGr4T4Es4
After seeing Floyd’s children, Gianna and son Quincy Mason, speak out about missing their father, a GoFundMe account created to honor their father and help pay related expenses has topped $12 million, and a fundraiser was started for Gianna.
As of Thursday, the day of Floyd’s memorial service in Minneapolis, Gianna’s GoFundMe has received over $1.4 million. Set up by Tiffany Lee of Stewart Trial Attorneys, who represents Gianna and her mother, the campaign page states:
Her legal counsel takes ZERO percent of funds raised. All money that is donated will be placed in a trust for Gianna and her mother. We appreciate the outpouring of love and support that has been felt around the world. Because of her father’s tragic murder due to police brutality, Gianna will now go through life without her dad. In addition, their family has lost their provider, and will no doubt suffer financial hardship after this tragic loss.
GettyFloyd’s daughter, Gianna Floyd, and her mother, Roxie Washington.
Washington is quoted on her daughter’s GoFundMe page thanking everyone for their support. “Our hearts are overwhelmed with gratitude and we ask that you think of Gianna and the rest of our family as we suffer through this great loss.”
Gianna Stood on Former NBA Player Stephen Jackson’s Shoulders & Said, ‘My Daddy Changed the World’
Floyd’s daughter, while propped up on the shoulders of former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was good friends with Floyd, announced to the crowd in Minneapolis on Tuesday, “My Daddy changed the world!” The video quickly went viral as Gianna’s mother made her first public statement following Floyd’s death on Memorial Day.
“At the end of the day, they get to go home and be with their families,” Washington said. “Gianna does not have a father. He will never see her grown up, graduate. He will never walk her down the aisle. If there’s a problem, and she needs a dad, she does not have that anymore.”
For Gianna, however, she sees her future looking bright. “I know what I want to be when I grow up,” she announced on Good Morning America. “I want to be a doctor. I want to take care of people.”
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