The Cordale Q. Handy "In Remembrance of Me" Memorial Banquet Returns July 5

Kim Handy-Jones stands in front of a memorial for her son Cordale Handy. As police violence continues to claim lives across the country, events like the Cordale Q. Handy Memorial Banquet serve as a powerful reminder that behind every headline is a family

On Saturday, July 5, families from across the United States will gather in Minneapolis for the 8th Annual Cordale Q. Handy "In Remembrance of Me" Memorial Banquet— a sacred event hosted by Kim Handy-Jones, mother of Cordale Handy, who was killed by Saint Paul police on March 5, 2017. The banquet is not just a memorial; it’s a call to action, a community healing space, and a national reunion of those forever changed by police violence.

A Mother of the Movement

After losing her son Cordale in 2017, Kim transformed her grief into a mission. Through her tireless organizing, she brings together a growing network of mothers, fathers, siblings, and loved ones who have also lost family members to law enforcement violence.

"A tragedy to one is a tragedy to all of us and all those Black lives that have been lost matter," Kim said in a 2023 interview with Georgia Fort. "Some days I just wanna lay in bed, but I feel my son's spirit pushing me. 'Mama, get out that bed.'"

And that’s what she continues to do — leading from the front, boots on the ground, for nearly a decade. Each July, the memorial banquet becomes a beacon of solidarity, remembrance, and resilience.

Uplifting the Unnamed and Unfilmed

While names like George Floyd are known around the world, Kim reminds us that many more — like Cordale Handy, Marcus Golden, Jafford Smith, and Phumee Lee — died with no cameras, no headlines, and no global outrage.

"When we go back and look at people like Cordale and Marcus Golden, they had a knee on our neck then," she said. "The only difference is the videos that played out in real time when George Floyd was murdered."

This year's memorial again seeks to center those stolen lives — not as statistics, but as people. As sons, daughters, siblings, dreamers, artists, students. The gathering creates space for families to speak names the world may not yet know, and to reclaim their narratives.

"When I planted my feet on Minnesota soil in 2017, I knew they’d be back again. And nothing and no one down here on this surface will stop me." - Kim Handy-Jones

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