The memorial service for George Floyd will be livestreamed across multiple broadcast and cable networks on Thursday, allowing millions of people to collectively mourn the life of the 46-year-old man who died at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25.
The Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the national eulogy at the service in North Central University’s Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary, Deadline reports. Floyd family attorney Ben Crump, who is also representing the families of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, will give a national criminal justice address.
The service is expected to begin at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and will be broadcast by the three major broadcast news networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—as well as CNN and Fox News.
NBC News will also have a live feed available on its YouTube channel:
Floyd’s killing helped galvanize a nation to take to their city streets and demand justice for him and other victims of police brutality, racist policing and state-enabled violence. This is the first of several memorial services planned for Floyd, who was known as a “gentle giant” by his friends and family. Memorial services will also be held at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday in Raeford, N.C., and on Monday and Tuesday at Fountains of Praise in Houston, according to Deadline.
As The New York Times reports, hundreds are expected to gather for the funeral, a remarkable development in itself since the coronavirus hit the U.S. Social distancing restrictions have made it difficult for families to hold traditional services since March.
“We have to be united, even with Covid,” Yousif Hussein, a 29-year-old Minneapolis resident, told the Times. He’s planning on attending the funeral in person. “I have to show solidarity with George Floyd.”