On April 20, senior kinesiology major Armond Gray logged into Zoom for his Advanced Workshop in Poetry course at Chapman. His professor began the class with a single free writing prompt: “Guilty, guilty, guilty.”

The class started approximately just one hour after the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial was read. Yet, students knew precisely what the professor was referring to. Chauvin, who was tried for the murder of George Floyd last May, was found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.

The trial has been one of the most publicized and notable of its kind in decades. For many, its connection to the Black Lives Matter movement made this moment a personal one — particularly with the police shooting of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant the same day of the verdict.

The Panther spoke to several members of the Chapman community to gather reflections on the verdict. Here are their thoughts.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and stylistic standards. 

Tekle Woldemikael, Chapman professor of sociology and international studies

I was relieved. I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t excited, because there were many other victims in these situations, and it’s tragic for everyone. This should have never happened. Incidents like this remind people that not everything is good and there are issues that need to be dealt with. The same day as the verdict, a number of people were killed by the police. I really don’t know what to make of that. 

What do people need to hear? We have a right to life. Isn’t that what the American Dream is about? So no one should snuff my life out just because they don’t like my looks, my height, or because I seem threatening, or disobeying. What is disobeying? Why can you kill a person because they disobey you? I want to live like everybody else.

Armond Gray, senior kinesiology major

I was super anxious before the verdict was even read out. I remember texting with friends, and we were all feeling the same way. But we all saw it clear as day what happened and there shouldn’t have been any question that he was going to be guilty. But the way that America is, and the way that the justice system works, that could’ve gone either way. When they read the verdict and all three were guilty, we were so overjoyed and happy. 

But that’s crazy, because it was something that was blatant. That should’ve been a given. I was relieved, but it didn’t last too long because that same day, the Ma’Khia Bryant death happened. The verdict felt like one small step in the right direction, but then the Ma’Khia Bryant news came and it was like we were back at ground zero.

Madison Welborn, freshman film production major and founder of the Chapman Black Film Society

It finally felt like America was headed in the right direction. I was so happy that George Floyd’s family got the justice and closure that hopefully will help them with healing. But then 30 minutes to an hour after the verdict broke, I heard other breaking news that a 16-year-old Black girl, Ma’Khia Bryant, was killed in Columbus, Ohio. America still has so much work to do and this is just the beginning of a long journey ahead. 

I wish that there were more conversations with our white allies about what they can do to support the Black community. I think a lot of white people are still trying to figure out ways they can help Black people without saying or doing the wrong thing. It’s such a sensitive topic. It’s almost like not wanting to step on the wrong spot of ice or else it’ll crack. I feel like we had a lot of those conversations in 2020, but some of that momentum died down and I don’t hear as many conversations going on about it now. 

Isaiah Jeannot, former sophomore self-designed major focusing on Black and women gender studies

Me and my girlfriend are both mixed and Black, and one of the things we’ve been talking about and feeling is real, deep frustration, anger and hopelessness. Since the verdict was announced, there have been (multiple) Black people killed by police, and none of them have as much evidence as the George Floyd murder did. The system is so broken that it’s just like, what do you do with that anger? There’s nothing you can do. For me personally, I’ve just felt so fed up with people and racism that I don’t really have patience for any of that stuff anymore.

Syd Brewster, freshman creative writing and history double major

I feel like it’s a step in the right direction, but I want to see consistency. I want to see this continue to happen, because the hope is that there will be police reform so this will all stop, but if people keep dying there needs to be justice. A trial is not going to be enough. 

It’s bigger than (police reform). I think the whole justice system is flawed. The whole system needs to be checked out, cleaned out, rearranged — every single word that means change, it needs a lot of work. Because the system, as we all know, was created to benefit only one group of people. And people are like, ‘Wow, the system is so unfair,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s doing its job.’ It wasn’t made to benefit Black people, it wasn’t made to benefit Asian Americans. It was essentially created to uphold white Americans, and that’s the sad truth.

Kaye Valdez, junior creative writing and political science double major

In one of my classes, we talked about how it had been years since the Civil Rights Movement. However, we are still seeing so many parallels to what is happening right now. It makes you reflect on how much progress we've actually made and how much we have not changed … 

We’ve never been more united, but at the same time, we are very much still segregated. 

A lot of us carry the mentality of, ‘If it doesn't directly involve my race or me, as an individual, I do not need to care,’ and that's a problem. Yes, we should not speak over those who are directly involved, but we should realize that these conversations about race affect everyone. I know not all of us choose to ignore the issue out of ill intentions or racist intentions. I feel like quite a lot of us actually just try to step away because it feels like stepping on eggshells. We're scared to speak over someone; we're scared to say something wrong; we're scared to approach this all wrong. But I feel like there needs to be more conversation on how these conversations about race should be a time to learn and reflect.