George Floyd Protest

The Cleanup After the Storm

When the George Floyd protests reached Madison in May of 2020, our city was hurting. People were angry, rightfully so. Centuries of pain, racial disparities, and over-policing had pushed communities of color to a breaking point. I understood that anger. I felt it too.

But after the fires faded and the glass settled on the sidewalks of downtown Madison, I knew we had to respond with something deeper than despair. We needed to show what healing could look like when a community refused to be divided.

That’s when we organized a cleanup effort. In just a few days, over 1,600 volunteers showed up with brooms, gloves, and hearts ready to work. Teachers, students, parents, business owners , people from every background came together, not for headlines, but for hope. Together, we swept, painted, and prayed over our city’s wounded streets.

At the same time, I started a GoFundMe campaign with a goal to raise $300,000 to help small businesses that had been damaged during the unrest. Many of these shops were owned by families who had poured everything they had into their dreams. Within days, donations poured in. That fund helped dozens of business owners repair their storefronts, restock their shelves, and reopen their doors.

It wasn’t about erasing what happened , it was about rebuilding what could still be saved. I wanted our actions to speak louder than the broken windows.

Not everyone agreed with me. Some activists criticized the effort, saying I had no right to help before justice was served. Some even called for me to be fired. I listened to their pain but I also knew my purpose. My response wasn’t to fight back. Instead, I focused on building something lasting. Out of that tension came the vision for a new statue in Madison, a symbol of unity, healing, and hope , a reminder that even in the face of division, we can choose to build rather than burn.

That moment taught me something powerful: Leadership is not about pleasing everyone, it’s about standing in the gap when your community needs you most. The cleanup wasn’t just about sweeping up glass. It was about restoring faith — in one another, and in the power of collective good.