Texas Southern University will provide George Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter with a full-ride scholarship when she’s college-age. TSU announced the gesture Tuesday, the day of Floyd’s funeral in his hometown of Houston.
The school said on Facebook that the gesture is a way it “honors the memory of George Floyd on the day that he is laid to eternal rest.”
“Mr. Floyd was a lifelong citizen of the Third Ward and a revered graduate of Jack Yates High School. The Board, in conjunction with the TSU Foundation Board, has approved a fund to provide a full scholarship for Floyd’s beloved daughter, Gianna,” the school said in the Facebook post.
TSU will “prepare a place” for Gianna “if she wishes to attend the University,” TSU said.
Gianna has told CBS Minnesota she has only happy memories of her time with her dad.
“I remember when he used to take me outside … and then I used to get on his back and he used to carry me on his back all the time,” Gianna told the station. “It was super fun.”
Floyd died on May 25 after former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. After Floyd’s funeral in Houston, where TSU is located, he was buried in Pearland, Texas.
Albert H. Myres, chair of the TSU board of regents, said in a statement that the board “is committed to education and understands that a college degree is one of many powerful steps toward a productive and successful life.”
“We know that this gesture cannot take the place of her dad’s loving presence,” he added, “but we hope that it will contribute to easing her journey through life.”
Myres also attended Floyd’s Celebration of Life service, according to TSU’s Twitter account.
TSU Foundation Chairman Gerald Smith added that the foundation “is proud to provide this privately-funded scholarship.”
“We know the value of an education in the pursuit of solutions and generational progress,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to embracing her into the TSU family.”
The school also issued a resolution for Floyd’s family. It acknowledges Floyd’s life and commemorates the impact he made on his community.
“He was raised in the Third Ward of Houston, Texas, lived in Cuney Homes, and attended Yates High School where he excelled in athletics, leading his football team to the state championship game,” the resolution reads. “… He pursued further studies at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.”
The resolution goes on to note that Floyd was “an aspiring musician” and that he was a community leader and mentor to young men. He was involved in a local ministry and moved to Minneapolis in 2014 to focus on “bettering himself, promoting anti-gun violence, and supporting his children,” the resolution said.
