The announcement on April 20 of Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd was believed by many to be a step in the right direction. 

Members of Southeastern’s chapters of the NAACP and Black Student Union have shared their thoughts on not only the guilty verdict, but what people can do moving forward. While this verdict showed that accountability can be achieved, the same cannot be said for many other similar cases. 

NAACP member and freshman computer science major Irvin Ussin took some time to discuss his reaction to the verdict.

“I was glad that we were able to get some accountability, but there is still work to be done,” said Ussin. 

Another name that was at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement was the name Breonna Taylor. 

“I personally feel like the reaction to the Breonna Taylor case wasn’t executed correctly, because I didn’t understand how they can pass a law to ban no-knock-warrants but won’t arrest the cops that committed the crime,” Ussin noted when discussing cases that deserve the same energy. 

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black American woman, was shot by police in Louisville, Ky. in her own home due to the police executing a no-knock warrant. None of the cops involved in this have been charged for Taylor’s death. 

Along with her name, there are the names of recently deceased Daunte Wright and Ma’Khia Bryant who both lost their lives at the hands of police officers.

BSU members Brent Webb, sophomore sports management major and Lonae Bowers, a junior accounting major, also shared their thoughts on what people should do moving forward from this verdict on the closing night of Southeastern’s recent play “Dark Skin Pavement.”

“I think that people need to hear more about this problem and understand it. I feel like a lot of people could understand, but they choose not to,” Bowers said when reflecting on what to do moving forward. 

“Dark Skin Pavement” is a new play by TJ Young that focuses on the effect of police brutality on a black family that premiered on Southeastern’s campus on April 27. 

With recent events in mind, school organizations such as the Counseling Center, BSU and the NAACP were invited to watch and also share their thoughts on the play. 

Webb, Bowers and Ussin saw the play on April 30. Webb expressed his thoughts on the play in correlation with real life events.

“Overall I just enjoyed the depth of the story and I could definitely tell that it was well thought out. More plays like these deserve more social traction, things like this need to increase on campus because we need to see things like this. Everyone feels something,” Webb said. 

For more information on BSU and the chapter of NAACP on campus, follow them on Instagram or visit their websites.