WE MISS YOU, GEORGE FLOYD: A Minneapolis College Community Event

Please join Minneapolis Community & Technical College in welcoming author Shannon Gibney and illustrator Leeya Rose Jackson for a special event for their new children's picture book, on Tuesday, November 26th at 7:00 PM at the MCTC Auditorium.

In this candid and powerful book, a young girl hears about an unfolding tragedy in her neighborhood. It’s on the news, on the radio, and talked about in her community, and she learns of the M**der of George Floyd—and about who he was. As she tries to reckon with the senseless violence of his killing, she finds solace at George Floyd Square. The space is filled with the art of protest and resistance, and she is moved to create her own signs and drawings, lifting her voice to harmonize with the outpouring: “We miss you, George Floyd.”

For children working through George Floyd’s M**der and the police violence plaguing our country, and for the grown-ups trying to help them, this book is an invitation to open up difficult conversations. With striking illustrations reflecting Floyd’s world and a child’s perspective, Shannon Gibney’s clear-eyed account offers healing and inspiration for the strength and solidarity we need to build a more peaceful and just future.

Shannon Gibney is a writer, educator, and activist. She is author of several books, including The Girl I Am, Was, and Never Will Be: A Speculative Memoir of Transracial Adoption, which received a Michael L. Printz Honor and a Minnesota Book Award; See No Color and Dream Country, both winners of Minnesota Book Awards; and Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight, a children’s picture book about a cross-cultural family also published by the University of Minnesota Press. A Bush Artist and McKnight Writing Fellow, Gibney teaches at Minneapolis College, where she was named Educator of the Year in 2023. She lives with her two children in Minneapolis.

Leeya Rose Jackson is an illustrator, fine artist, art director, writer, and designer based in Minneapolis. She runs the illustration shop Leeya Makes Noise and is the creative founder of Noisemakers Design.

The event will include a reading and discussion of the book, time for audience questions, an art activity for kids, and light refreshments. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

More details:

• The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
• We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Heather Skinner at [email protected].

Host or Publisher University of Minnesota Press