RICHMOND, Va., — A hologram depicting George Floyd is scheduled to be displayed on the Gen. Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue in Richmond.
According to a press release, “Change.org and The George Floyd Foundation will temporarily replace a confederate statue at Marcus David Peters Circle with a hologram of George Floyd, the 46-year-old Black man whose death in police custody inspired a movement against racial injustice worldwide.”
Floyd’s brother, Rodney, traveled to Richmond to participate in the Tuesday night event.
“I would love if he was here. But, honestly with his death the movement that has sparked and the change in the world. He would love to see that. I wish he would’ve been here to see it,” he said.
The image was designed by Kaleida Hologram Co. and will be projected by Quince Imaging of Virginia.
With more than 19 million signatures, Justice for George Floydbecame the largest and fastest-growing petition on Change.org’s platform of all time, the release said.
The event is scheduled to begin at 7:30 Tuesday night with music and food followed by speakers and performances. The hologram will be revealed to the public at 9:30 p.m.
On Monday night, the Floyd family previewed the hologram over the Jefferson Davis monument. Protesters had toppled the Davis statue during a Black Lives Matter protest that was sparked by Floyd’s death.
Ben Crump, the Floyd family attorney, said Confederate statues were intentionally chosen to display the hologram.
“At the scene where Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, once stood and putting that hologram of George Floyd to make people understand the importance of symbols,” Crump explained. “It’s a painful image, but the real question is how we transform the pain into power. How we transform the protests into policy. That’s what this night is about. It’s about change.”
Rodney said he believed his brother would be proud of their efforts.
“He would be smiling so big it would light up the night seeing the unity,” he stated.
The week-long tour will continue to additional states including North Carolina and George.
