By: Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO, FMI<br /> <img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/blog-image-1350x757-georg-floyd.tmb-large-350-.png?sfvrsn=8762c4d4_1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="George Floyd" title="Blog Image 1350x757 George Floyd" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /><br /> <p>Today in Minneapolis and in cities across America, people are finding ways to commemorate the one-year anniversary of George Floyd&rsquo;s tragic murder at the hands of police officers.</p> <p>In that time, his name has become a global rallying cry for justice. While the story of his victimization was not the first, it has certainly been one of the loudest and has touched people deeply.</p> <p>It is a rather unfortunate piece of our human make-up, but it appears that it often takes a truly catastrophic event to get our attention and wake us up to a reality we have chosen to ignore. George Floyd was not the first black man to be murdered, but the profound injustice of his death served to effectively break through many people&rsquo;s walls of denial.&nbsp;The Floyd tragedy provided new courage to countless African Americans to boldly tell their truths and prompted many others to stop, listen and truly hear the plight&nbsp;of others in a new way. It was a national call to action to spur change. On May 25, 2020, we all realized the depth of the work we have before us, the tough conversations we must have, and the healing we must instigate. Regrettably, it took a mortifying event to help break the complicit silence of systemic racism and embolden many to find their voices in the fight for justice. The good news is that for many, it did.&nbsp;</p> <p>Floyd&rsquo;s death has prompted conversation and substantive dialogue that is moving the needle. The important thing is for us to not let his senseless death remain so, but to continue imbuing it with meaning through committed action to make this world a more equitable place for everyone.&nbsp;</p> <p>FMI condemns racism in any form and is committed to creating safe places for our staff and our members to have the depth of dialogue necessary to foster meaningful connections, break down barriers and change lives. We have begun this journey and will continue this quest for racial justice by specifically encouraging our industry to have candid conversations about racially just workplaces, equal access to healthy food and the need to bring cultural sensitivities into diet and nutrition conversations.</p> <p>Today, we honor the memory of George Perry Floyd, Jr.</p> <p>And we will keep honoring it every time we host a <a href="https://www.fmi.org/industry-topics/diversity-equity-inclusion">Digital Dialogue</a>&nbsp;regarding industry practices addressing racial justice, inclusion and diversity issues.&nbsp; </p> <p>We will keep honoring it by providing resources and encouraging food industry workers to have courageous life-changing conversations with each other. </p> <p>We will keep honoring Floyd&rsquo;s name by strengthening the industry&rsquo;s voice and encouraging it to become a human chorus, standing up against injustices like the one perpetrated in Minneapolis one year ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </p>