We asked seven black attorneys, including partners and law firm leaders across the United States, to recount their reactions to George Floyd’s death and the days of protests that have followed. The lawyers spoke about their own experiences with racism, their experiences in the legal profession, their frustrations and the future. 

Benjamin Wilson. Courtesy photo Benjamin Wilson. Courtesy photo

When Ben Wilson saw the graphic video of George Floyd dying at the hands of the Minneapolis police, he was deeply pained not just for Floyd, but for black people who recently met similar fates: Breonna Taylor, whom the police shot dead in her Louisville home, New York’s Eric Garner, whose cries of “I can’t breathe” were echoed by Floyd and, now, demonstrators across the country.