The Black Lives Matter movement has seen a major resurgence following the death of George Floyd on May 25th. Floyd was killed by asphyxia when officer Derek Chauvin held a knee on his neck for nearly 9 minutes despite pleas to let him breathe. The murder has resulted in the arrests of all four officers on the scene, and Chauvin has now been charged with second-degree murder.
In the time since Floyd’s death, protests have taken place in every state in the US and throughout various other countries in an attempt to end police brutality and reform law enforcement. The mass gatherings and loud voices have slowly resulted in some of the changes activists had hoped to see, and it’s brought a lot of attention to the movement many have been a part of for so long. In addition, a multitude of businesses, platforms and celebrities have voiced their support across social media and other means, helping to spread awareness and love in such trying times.
When The Walking Dead‘s official Twitter account announced their full support of Black Lives Matter, they suffered unexpected blowback from some outspoken fans. The show is known for its diversity in gender, sexuality and race, so it’s certainly surprising to see fans bail out on TWD over its support of a major civil rights movement like this.
Now, creator of the comics and producer of the show, Robert Kirkman, has also taken to Twitter to let the fans that abandoned ship know that he hopes they get educated on the situation.
The #TWDfamily is only a family if all members enjoy the same level of safety, security & prosperity. Let’s all do the work needed to open our eyes to injustice so we can turn this time of hate into a time of learning and hopefully, progress. #BLM https://t.co/7Ltw5gz5xX
— Robert Kirkman (@RobertKirkman) June 3, 2020
The Walking Dead is technically still in its 10th season, as its finale was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The 15th episode “The Tower” was the last one to air earlier this year, but it’s expected that the final episode will finally make its way into fans’ living rooms sometime in the fall. Meanwhile, season 11 hasn’t begun filming yet, and it’s highly unlikely we’ll see it premiere in its normal October slot due to ongoing concerns with the pandemic.
