The police killing in Minneapolis of George Floyd, a handcuffed Black man, and the protests that quickly spread afterward were excruciating moments in an already intense presidential election year.
As Nov. 3 approached, New York-based race and ethnicity reporter Aaron Morrison reached out to Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, to see what he would be doing on Election Day. Morrison and the younger sibling of George Floyd had met in Minneapolis over the summer at the spot where a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes.
With race and justice at the center of the election, Morrison thought it fitting to tell a story through the lens of someone who lost a loved one to the police violence that protesters were decrying. Terrence Floyd, who lives in New York, agreed to let Morrison shadow him exclusively as he rode around the city in an SUV calling on a loudspeaker for people to vote, and later while waiting for election results at a watch party.
Terrence Floyd, younger brother of George Floyd, speaks at a Get Out the Vote rally outside the Brooklyn Museum in New York, Nov. 3, 2020.
AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
At one point during the day, a small marching band played outside the Brooklyn Museum and Terrence Floyd chanted “Don't forget to vote!” in rhythm with the musicians. It was a special moment that was captured by New York video journalist Ted Shaffrey and in Morrison’s writing.
Photographer Frank Franklin II, also based in New York, snapped several in-the-moment photos of Terrence Floyd, including a standout portrait of him in a face mask with "8:46" on it — the number of minutes and seconds authorities initially had said the officer held a knee to his brother’s neck.
The multimedia package played well on Twitter and AP News amid the wait for voting results.