Sawt Falasteen - Informal therapy offers healing at George Floyd memorial

"When that video was blasted all over the place I was in disbelief... Haven't we as a country learned?" said the gray-haired Black man, who sat on a foldable red-checkered chair with his outstretched feet crossed.

Across from him, 76-year-old Rita Davern occasionally nodded, her hands clasped in her lap during most of the half-hour conversation that the pair allowed AFP to witness.

They were taking part in re-evaluation counseling -- an informal practice of peer-to-peer discussions aimed at healing trauma -- which was deployed at a memorial event in Minneapolis marking the five-year anniversary of Floyd's murder.

Researchers have found his killing by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, took an emotional toll on Black Americans in particular, with a study finding that nearly one million more would have screened positive for depression in the week after his death.

"If you're experiencing fear or grief or anything, if you have somebody you can talk to about it, there's some kind of healing that happens," Davern, a white filmmaker, said later.

"I think it matters that a white person listens because that's what usually doesn't happen," she added.

The man, 54, who asked to be named only as Mr Davis, agreed: "Change happens with discussions among common people, not among the people in positions of power and influence."

- 'Re-traumatized' -

For some, the emotions on this anniversary have been stirred up by the recent calls from some of President Donald Trump's right-wing allies for him to pardon Floyd's killer.

Janet Kitui, 57, said she felt "re-traumatized" by that news.

"That struck a raw nerve for me," she told AFP.

"That would really erase a human life that was George Floyd, and subsequently any of us who are Black in these United States."

Kitui, a procurement officer living in Minneapolis, said attending the weekend memorial event offered her a sense of comfort.

"To be here is to be with fellow people who are honoring George Floyd, and that is healing in itself," she said.

The memorial event focused partly on self-care, with stands offering free massages and art therapy sessions for children.

Meanwhile, the informal counseling allowed for people to reflect on the legacy of Floyd's death.

At one point, Davis asked Davern how race issues are perceived in her neighborhood.

"I see white people, my people, more scared of going out, you know, more scared of talking to their neighbors," Davern said.

Davis interrupted: "What are they afraid of?"

"We're afraid of what we don't know, we're afraid of coming here today. It's just the division of our society," Davern replied.

Q.Jaber--SF-PST