George Floyd Hologram Appears at Sites of Confederate Statues

A three-dimensional hologram of George Floyd is set to appear at the site of five former Confederate statues across the country this week.

"A Monumental Change: The George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project" will be unveiled at the Marcus-David Peters Circle on Tuesday night in Richmond, Virginia. The hologram, which forms an image of Floyd out of fireflies and his name in graffiti, reflecting the murals painted in his memory, temporarily appears where the Jefferson Davis Confederate monument once stood on Monday night. The statue was toppled over by protesters on June 10.

The collaborative project between the George Floyd Foundation and Change.org will mirror the route of the 1961 Freedom Rides, stopping at five sites in states such as North Carolina and Georgia.

"This project seeks to replace the monuments of racist Confederate memory with symbols of solidarity and justice," said Sylvia Rolle, a senior campaigner at Change.org, in a press statement. "In collaboration with the family of George Floyd and the George Floyd Foundation, this project aims to reflect the power and beauty of those millions of voices standing up for change."

The Change.org petition demanding justice for Floyd, who died in Minneapolis police custody in May, has reached nearly 20 million signatures and has become the website's fastest-growing and largest petition to date.

Floyd's death has sparked an unprecedented national movement demanding an end to racism and police brutality. Demonstrators across the country have protested nightly for over two months.

The calls for racial justice have spread across the globe and have led to a wave of name changes and monument removals around the world, as well as police reforms in major cities, including Minneapolis, where Floyd died.

"The day after George Floyd was laid to rest in peace, the Floyd family made a personal sacrifice by giving up their time to rest and recover from the loss of their loved one. Because they understand how George's death has impacted the world, they turned their pain into purpose by creating the George Floyd Foundation located in the city where George was raised, Houston, Texas," said Tezlyn Figaro, a senior adviser at the George Floyd Foundation.

Tensions between protesters and law enforcement have also resulted in a series of citywide curfews and the deployment of federal agents by the Trump administration, a move widely criticized by civil rights activists and local governments.

"The mission of the George Floyd Foundation is to create access and participation in the areas of social justice education and advocacy, youth services and workforce development," Figaro said. "By partnering with organizations such as Change.org, it demonstrates the Floyd family's commitment to ensuring that George Floyd did not die in vain."

Alaina Curry, a spokesperson for the petition website, told Newsweek that the George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project is primarily a remembrance initiative, while Change.org has specifically worked with local organizers to help defend the rights of protesters across the country.