[custom_adv] Sharpton spoke near a casket carrying Floyd's body at the North Central University in Minneapolis. The event was the first in a series of memorial services honoring Floyd. [custom_adv] Floyd's family was joined by dozens of guests, including civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Martin Luther King III and actor Kevin Hart. [custom_adv] Earlier in the service, Scott Hagan, president of North Central University in Minneapolis, announced the creation a memorial scholarship in Floyd's name, and called for universities around the country to create similar funds. [custom_adv] Since the 46-year-old died while in police custody in Minneapolis, Floyd's relatives have been part of massive protests in Texas. His children heard crowds far way from home chant their father's name. His brother led a prayer vigil at the site of Floyd's death. [custom_adv] Floyd moved to Minneapolis several years ago looking for a better life. He worked as a truck driver and more recently as a bouncer at a club. He wanted to be a better father, Jackson said, and would often talk about taking care of his daughters. [custom_adv] People in two other cities will be able to pay their respects in the next five days. A public viewing and a private memorial service will be held in Raeford, North Carolina, on Saturday -- the state where he was born. Floyd's sister lives in Hoke County, according to CNN affiliate WRAL. [custom_adv] The memorial will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at The Fountain of Praise Church at 13950 Hillcroft Ave. in Houston, the Fort Bend Memorial Planning Center said. The private service will be held at an undisclosed location. [custom_adv] New charges were filed Wednesday against the officers. Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter last week and authorities added a charge of second-degree murder. [custom_adv] Although the final results of Floyd's autopsy revealed he had tested positive for coronavirus in April, Crump made clear that the virus had no role in Floyd's death. "It was the other pandemic that we are way too familiar with in America, a pandemic of racism and discrimination that killed George Floyd," Crump said. [custom_adv] Earlier in the service, Scott Hagan, president of North Central University in Minneapolis, announced the creation a memorial scholarship in Floyd's name, and called for universities around the country to create similar funds. [custom_adv] Floyd's family was joined by dozens of guests, including civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Martin Luther King III and actor Kevin Hart. It was a time for Floyd's family to mourn a man who in his 46 years of life "touched many hearts" and whose death sparked momentum toward change within days. [custom_adv] George Floyd's family and closest friends demanded justice Thursday for a man they said was killed by "the pandemic of racism and discrimination." Mourners paid tribute to Floyd inside a sanctuary at North Central University in Minneapolis, singing praises for their brother, father, uncle and friend who died at the age of 46. [custom_adv] Floyd died as a police officer planted a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes in a violent arrest that is all-too representative of African American life, the Rev. Al Sharpton said in a eulogy. [custom_adv] "George Floyd's story is the story of black folks," said Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization. "Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed of being — because you kept your knee on our necks." [custom_adv] Sharpton, the host of MSNBC's "PoliticsNation," added: "What happened to Floyd happens every day in this country — in education, in health services and in every area of American life. It's time for us to stand up in George's name, 'Get your knee off our necks.'"
