KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For some people, the words to describe how they felt on this day one year ago, and every day since then, come effortlessly. For others, the words are painful and hard to get out.
"This poem I'm working on, specifically, I'm trying to talk about the fact that today is not really an anniversary. This isn't an anniversary piece," Darrien Case said.
Folks like Darrien Case shared poems, talked about their experiences, or just wanted to gather with community to honor George Floyd's life.
Equal Minded Cafe was just one place in Kansas City and across the nation where people remembered and reflected on the last year.
"There's nothing to celebrate about him being murdered," Case said. "And if we are to actually celebrate something about George Floyd it would be that he lived a life just like anybody else in the Black community, full of context and complicated and deserves to be understood a lot more than it was."
For Na'im Al-Amin, founder of SWAGG INC, the day is a celebration in a way.
"That's why it's bittersweet, because with the passing of George Floyd, we've been able to raise awareness and there's more conscientious participation among all humanity and adversity particular to Black people, the Black community," Al-Amin said.
Dontavious Young, owner of Equal Minded Cafe, said a true society shift regarding racism and police brutality won't happen if the work stops now.
"That’s what we fought last year for, was change, and it’s still not here," Young said. "A lot of people still don’t realize that change is still not here, so making it relevant in their minds.”
The group who gathered at the cafe marched down to the Plaza to join a larger group to remember Floyd and continue to push for change.
Case said change for him doesn't mean murals, it means legislation that prevents what happened to Floyd.
"I hope there's more actions being taken that aren't just for show and that actually drive a bottom line for Black people to be protected," Case said. "Not just Black people, all races and backgrounds, but in terms of brutality, it seems to happen a lot more in the Black community."
