The University of Minnesota Law School has started a new scholarship honoring George Floyd.
The fund will support a student of color — particularly a black law student who's pursuing a career in law — in hopes they can help diversify a largely white profession and help pursue racial justice.
The fund was started by two alumni, Catlan McCurdy and Sanjiv Laud, with a match from the U Law School. The married Minneapolis couple, who met at the school and are both lawyers, were inspired by North Central University, which hosted the Minneapolis memorial for Floyd and created a scholarship in his honor.
"George Floyd's death was just a symbol of a larger problem of racial injustice in this country," Laud said. "And it was one thing we could do. He's never going to be forgotten at the law school."
The endowed scholarship will continue indefinitely. The first scholarship will likely be awarded in 2021. (To support the fund, go to law.umn.edu.)
Garry Jenkins, dean of the University of Minnesota law school, said in an e-mail to the school's community that they are doubling down on "promoting racial justice and changing perspectives, practices, and institutions (in all kinds of ways) to help contribute to the change we need."
Floyd, 46, died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pinned his neck to the pavement. Chauvin has been fired and charged with murder and manslaughter. Three other officers involved in the incident have been charged with aiding and abetting manslaughter and murder.
