Months into a global pandemic, a loud cry for racial justice erupted around the country and the world. Protesters took to the streets demanding an end to police brutality and systemic racism and repeatedly echoed the names of three recently-killed Black Americans: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
In a new three-part series, NPR hosts Ailsa Chang and Rachel Martin look back at the past six months and report on how we got to where we are today. In episode one, they paint a portrait of the lives of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery before they became household names. Through conversations with friends and family who knew and loved the deceased, they uncover new facets of the story and explore one big question: What lit the match for the movement surging on today?