Richmond, VA— The members of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) are relieved to see that a step towards justice has been made in the case of Derek Chauvin being found guilty of all three charges for the murder of George Floyd. This has been an incredibly painful and emotional time.

In the summer of 2020, the members of the VLBC joined many across the globe in mourning after witnessing the traumatic murder of George Floyd and the horrific last minutes of his life. The VLBC joined in the outpour of calls for accountability and for changes to the broken systems that continue to devalue Black lives.

The entire world watched and long awaited the verdict of this trial. We all collectively held our breath until this moment. Our prayers are with the Floyd family and the many families mourning loved ones who were lost to police brutality and racist violence. We hope that this decision today brings them some comfort and peace.

We cannot stop here. In a truly just world, George Floyd would still be alive today. We still have so much work to do. We must continue addressing police brutality and systemic racism within the criminal justice system and throughout our society. We must create even more change to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the first place.

So while this verdict serves as a step forward in combating systemic racism, the work continues to ensure that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice both for our children and for the generations after them.