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\u201cHe's everywhere \u2014 but he's not here. He's on somebody's wall. He's on somebody's billboard. \u2026 He's in a newspaper, but he's not here. He's here in spirit. But he's not here.\u201d
George Floyd has become a symbol, and a rallying cry. But what\u2019s missing in our understanding is the man himself: a figure who was complicated, full of ambition, shaped by his family and his community and a century of forces around him.
On this episode of \u201cPost Reports,\u201d we explore the life and experiences of the man who sparked a movement, as part of The Washington Post\u2019s series \u201cGeorge Floyd\u2019s America.\u201d The reporting explores the institutional and societal roadblocks Floyd encountered as a Black man from his birth in 1973 until his death, and the role systemic racism played throughout his life. The eight minutes Floyd spent suffocating under the knee of a White police officer became the catalyst for nationwide protests against racial inequality. But it was not the first time that Floyd faced oppression \u2014 as a Black man, Floyd spent his 46-year life battling injustices that derailed, diminished and ultimately killed him. 
\u201cOne of the reasons George Floyd has become a rallying cry across the country for racial justice protest is not because his experience was so unique,\u201d says reporter Tolu Olorunnipa, \u201cbut in part because his experience and the experience of his family are so common.\u201d
The series is based on a review of thousands of documents and more than 150 interviews with Floyd\u2019s friends, colleagues, public officials and scholars.
The picture that emerges is one that underscores how systemic racism has calcified within many of America\u2019s institutions, creating sharply disparate outcomes in housing, education, the economy, law enforcement and health care.
Read more in this Special Report from The Washington Post: George Floyd\u2019s America. 
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Credits 
Reporting for this episode from Ted Muldoon. \u201cGeorge Floyd\u2019s America\u201d was reported by Arelis Hern\xe1ndez, Tracy Jan, Laura Meckler, Tolu Olorunnipa, Robert Samuels, Griff Witte and Cleve Wootson. This \u201cPost Reports\u201d episode was produced by Ted Muldoon and Linah Mohammad and edited by Maggie Penman and Martine Powers.