Sparked: George Floyd, Racism, and the Progressive Illusion

Reflections on race in Minnesota in the wake of George Floyd's death and the uprisings that followed, as told by current and former residents of the state.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by Minneapolis police officers, sparking months of unrest at home and around the world. As millions took to the streets to express their outrage and speak out against systemic racism, injustice, and institutionalized violence, the city of Minneapolis and its residents were deeply shaken. For many, George Floyd's murder and the ensuing uprisings shattered the city's reputation for progressive ideals and a high quality of life. For many others, the incident simply caught on camera a representation of the harsh realities and paradoxes that they have been living with for generations. In the words of Jasmine Mitchell, "the ‘Minnesota nice’ comforts and illusionary progressiveness resides upon the ignoring of White racial terrorism and fears of Blackness, brown immigrants, and resistance to White supremacy."

Sparked brings together the perspectives of social scientists, professors, and other academics who work or have worked in Minnesota. The essays present reflections on racial dynamics in the Twin Cities and the intersection of the wonderful and wretched sides of that existence, revealing deep complexities, ingrained inequities, and diverse personal experiences.

Walter R. Jacobs is a sociologist and the Dean of the College of Social Sciences at San José State University. He is the author of the ethnography Speaking the Lower Frequencies: Students and Media Literacy and coeditor (with Jeffrey Di Leo) of If Classrooms Matter: Progressive Visions of Educational Environments. He spent 14 years on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, including five years as chair of the department of African American & African Studies. Jacobs serves on the board of directors for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) and for StoryCenter, the world-renowned nonprofit organization that uses innovative story development practices and participatory media methods to support people in sharing personal narratives rooted in their own life experiences.

Wendy Thompson Taiwo is an assistant professor of African American studies at San José State University. Her research and teaching interests include Black migration to the Bay Area, Black women and mothering, race and the built environment, and Black visual expressions of social status and class. She previously worked as an assistant professor of Ethnic Studies at Metropolitan State University in the Twin Cities.

Amy August is an assistant professor of sociology at San José State University and the assistant director of the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society, and Social Change, where she collaborates with a team of colleagues and student interns to promote social justice in and through sport. Her research focuses on the classification and instruction of preschoolers in school and sport, families#39; involvement in youth extracurricular activities, and women's gymnastics and the #MeToo movement. August has a PhD in sociology from the University of Minnesota.