Moved by the death of George Floyd, Alabama man walks to Minneapolis as tribute
(FOX 9) - The killing of George Floyd and its aftermath made headlines around the world. One man who saw them lives in Huntsville, Alabama and decided he was going to walk all the way to Minneapolis to pay tribute to Floyd's memory and try to bring people together.
Terry Willis is a man on a mission.
Moved by the death of George Floyd, Alabama man walking to Minneapolis as tribute
The killing of George Floyd and its aftermath made headlines around the world. One man who saw them lives in Huntsville, Alabama and decided he was going to walk all the way to Minneapolis to pay tribute to Floyd's memory and try to bring people together.
"I thought of the most extreme thing that would get the most attention silently," he explained.
He's walked halfway across the country and with every step, he inches closer to completing the journey of a lifetime.
"I'm close to the finish line," said Willis. "I'm ready to get there. If I could walk the whole way there today I would, but I can't."
After watching the death of George Floyd on video, Willis decided to walk from his home in Alabama to Minnesota to see the spot where Floyd was killed.
Along the way of his thousand-mile march, Willis stopped to pay his respects, to Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and others who have lost their lives at the hands of police.
"Once I saw that, I felt like I needed to do something and as one person, Terry Willis," he added. "I'm not an activist. I'm a carpenter who takes care of his son and I saw something that shouldn't have happened and I felt like I needed to do something."
Willis' march for change, justice and equality hasn't gone unnoticed. As he approached the Twin Cities, fans who've been following him on Facebook stopped by to take pictures and show their support with food, gas and, in one case, a song.
"Because we support him and everything he is doing, what he believes in," said one woman who stopped by to meet Willis. "It is a great thing."
"Growing up, I never had this love," said Willis. "Now just to get this love from complete strangers of all different backgrounds, I mean, this is amazing."
On Sunday, Willis will finish his cross-country trek by walking from the Mall of America to 38th and Chicago. But they say it's not the destination, it's the journey that counts. As he nears the end of the road, Willis says his spirits are as high as the power that inspired him.
"I love it," he said. "I'd do it again if you told me too. I want to fly back but if I get there and he tells me to walk back. I'm walking back."