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Reverend Al Sharpton and Joe Biden eulogized George Floyd as his family and friends gathered for his Houston funeral. USA TODAY

HOUSTON With the world watching, George Floyd's hometown said goodbye Tuesday in an emotional service that celebrated Floyd's life and rang with calls to ensure that death will not bring an end of his story.

The Fountain of Praise church also rang with passionate gospel music that repeatedly brought those gathered to their feet.

And passion poured from family, friends and politicians who proclaimed their love and appreciation for Floyd, a 46-year-old whose death 15 days earlier spurred outrage, activism and a growing call for reforms aimed at police brutality and treatment toward minority citizens.

God always uses unlikely people to do his will, the Rev. Al Sharpton said.

God took an ordinary brother from the Third Ward, from the housing project, that nobody thought much about but those who knew him and loved him, Sharpton said. God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that is going to change the whole wide world.

That movement, he vowed, will continue when the last TV truck is gone.

Fountain of Praise pastors Remus and Mia Wright delivered on their promise to host a foot-stomping, toe-tapping, praising God remembrance of Floyd.

In the tradition of the African American church, this will be a home-going celebration of brother Georges life, Mia Wright told more than 500 invited guests in her southwest Houston church. We may weep, we may mourn, we'll be comforted and we will ride home. That is for sure.

Pallbearers bring the casket of George Floyd into the church for his funeral on June 9, 2020, at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis Police officers on May 25.(Photo: Pool photo by Godofredo A. Vsquez)

Speaker after speaker said Floyds death launched a global movement, and Tuesdays funeral was widely broadcast and streamed online.

Floyd's casket, placed at the front of the church, was greeted by saluting Houston police officers as it was wheeled inside Tuesday morning.

In the pews, invited guests included political leaders and celebrities who mixed with many who knew the man called Big Floyd in Houston's Third Ward.

The death of George Floyd: What the criminal complaints say

Family members recalled an exuberant man a personal Superman, friend and mentor who frequently came to his family's rescue without being asked and they vowed, sometimes tearfully, to fight for the legacy of a man whose name became a rallying cry for justice.

Right now, I want justice for my brother, for my big brother, that's Big Floyd, Rodney Floyd said. Everyone is going to remember him around the world. He's going to change the world.

We must not turn away, said former Vice President Joe Biden, speaking to the church on video after having privately met with Floyd's family the day before.

We cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul, Biden said. Why in this nation do too many black Americans wake up knowing they could lose their life in the course of living their life?

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U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, said we have a duty, responsibility and obligation not to allow this to be like the other times black lives were unjustly taken.

We have a responsibility to each one of them to make sure that we do not walk away today after having celebrated his life and not taken the next step to ... assure the future generations that this won't happen again, Green said.

Sharpton closed his eulogy by telling Floyd to go on and get your rest now, were going to fight on.

All over the world, George, they are marching in your name. Even in a pandemic, people are out walking in the streets, Sharpton said. As we lay you to rest today, the movement won't rest until we get justice, until we have one standard of justice. Your family's going to miss you, George, but your nation is always going to remember your name.

Quincy Mason Floyd, son, of George Floyd pauses at the casket and speake with the Rev. Al Sharpton, left, during a funeral service for Floyd at The Fountain of Praise church, June 9, 2020, in Houston. (Photo: Pool photo by David J. Phillip)

After the almost four-hour service, Tiffany Cofield, 35, was near tears, overwhelmed by the knowledge that Floyd was gone but happy that the service had helped inform the world about a man who always had a sense of destiny.

He used to tell me all the time he was going to change the world, she said. I taught at Hope Academy in the Third Ward and the kids told me, You got to know Big Floyd.

He mentored a lot of the kids I taught, Cofield said. He was an icon for the Third Ward. He was just such a loving, protective person. You have to know him. He was just wonderful. I cant believe hes gone.

Floyd was taken to Houston Memorial Gardens in Pearland to be buried alongside his mother, who he called out for as he gasped for breath, lying handcuffed on a Minneapolis street on Memorial Day with a Minneapolis police officers knee on his neck, a scene captured in 8 minutes and 46 seconds of video.

Many along the routeraised a fist in salute to the hearse bearing Floyd and family members.

'George Floyd changed the world': Public viewing in Houston honors the man behind the social justice movement

For the final mile of his journey, Floyd was carried by horse-drawn carriage, his casket visible through glass walls.

Despite the heat, crowds had begun lining the procession route well before funeral services began, including Audrieka Jones, 24, who walked more than a mile from her parking spot to be near the cemetery entrance, where she was heartened to see white faces in the crowd.

Im seeing more Caucasians standing up than I ever had before, said Jones, who is black. This is a good thing. It is definitely a good thing.

Jones said she hoped the activism inspired by Floyds death signals a lasting change. His death was so unfair. It was definitely not right, she said. But I dont think he died in vain. This time, its not going to be swept under the rug.

Tinker Stewart described how it feels to be disrespected on sight.

I was a captain in the Air Force. I served in Desert Storm and Operation Just Cause, Stewart recalled. And one day I was sitting in the officers club in my civilian clothes and a lady came up to me and asked me to bring her some butter. She didnt see me as a fellow officer, she saw me as somebody whose job it was to bring her butter.

Stewart said Floyds death exposed not only the overt racism that she and others live with every day, it exposed the more subtle, but equally humiliating and infuriating, prejudice that persists.

Tuesdays funeral came one day after more than 6,000 people streamed into Fountain of Praise to view Floyd as he lay in a gold casket.

New charges in George Floyd's death: Derek Chauvin faces second-degree murder; 3 other officers charged

Afterward, as nightfall brought some relief from the beating sun of a still sweltering day, hundreds of mourners Monday lit the gathering darkness with candles and cellphones on the Jack Yates High School football field where George Floyd was a star tight end on a team that played for the 1992 state championship.

Ben Crump, the attorney representing the Floyd family, addressed the candlelight vigil.

People ask me all over the world, attorney Crump, why is this different from all the other times when they kill unarmed black people unjustifiably and senselessly? Crump said. And I tell them, George Floyd is different from anything weve ever seen because not only was it a documentary of his death, it was a documentary where he narrated his death and said, `I cant breathe, I cant breathe, I cant breathe, I cant breathe, I cant breathe, I cant breathe, I cant breathe, I cant breathe.

At 8:46, the vigil, which had been put together by the Yates High School Alumni Association, fell silent.

More than 60,000 people marched in Houston in a peaceful demonstration last Tuesday.

But you should know theyre protesting for George in Paris, France, Crump said. Theyre protesting for George in London, England. Theyre protesting for George in Toronto, Canada. Theyre protesting for George in Berlin, Germany. Theyre protesting for George in Australia. Theyre protesting for George in Ghana. Theyre protesting for George all over Africa. Theyre protesting for George all over the world. For your homeboy.

On the ride over to the memorial service Monday, Jace Brown, 8, of Houston, asked his grandmother, Charlotte Moman, if George Floyd is going to be history, when we get older is he going to be there?

She said he would be, like Emmett Till.

Moman was the same age Jace is now in 1955, growing up in rural Mississippi, when Till, a black 14-year-old from Chicago who was visiting family in Money, Miss., was kidnapped, tortured and killed his body wrapped in barbed wire, tied to a 75-pound cotton gin fan and thrown in the Tallahatchie River supposedly for whistling at a white womanoutside a country store.

His murder, and the funeral in Chicago, sent shock waves across America, galvanizing the civil rights movement

Its like we repeat doing the same thing all over again, and repeating and repeating and it doesnt stop, Jace said. So like we get too fed up, like its too much.

Additional material from USA Today Network reporter John Moritz.

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Houston gives George Floyd a rousing, tearful farewell - El Paso Times

Taking inspiration from the gigantic Black Lives Matter street painting near the White House in Washington D.C., community leaders and volunteers painted a street in the heart of Bed-Stuy with the same message Saturday.

Volunteers spread yellow traffic paint into letters 28 feet tall, spanning a 375-foot-long stretch of Fulton Street in Restoration Plaza.

Volunteers paint a massive Black Lives Matter message on Fulton Street in Bed Stuy. Gothamist

City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., who represents Bed-Stuy, said his district was the natural home for the street project.

Similar to what was done in Washington DC, we saw that it helped boost the morale of not only the demonstrators, but of the ancillary community to it, Cornegy said in an interview Saturday. And we thought that since this community has been historically Black, and it's the last bastion of Black homeownership, the last bastion of Black small business, this will be the right place in New York City to begin the Black Lives Matter mural movement.

In addition to the Black Lives Matter message, the names of victims of police brutality are also memorialized in the artwork.

The project is a joint effort between the Billie Holiday Theatre at Restoration Plaza and Cornegy, who originally reached out to artist Dawud West to commission a mural for the plaza.

I suggested that I do something a little bit more statement-making as opposed to just painting something on the wall, West said, adding that the Bed-Stuy project joins the DC artwork and a similar project in Charlotte, North Carolina to show unity across the country.

Dr. Indira Etwaroo, the theaters Executive Artistic Director, added that situating the art project in Restoration Plaza itself was a deliberate message.

This is Restoration Plaza, and this is the first Community Development Corporation in the nation, founded by Robert F. Kennedy and Jacob Javits along with community activists who were rising up during the 1966 race riots (in New York), Etwaroo said. And so here we are full circle again.

Taken outside of its transportation context, the yellow paint represented urgency and action, said Nicholas Love, an artist and volunteer.

Its just so bold and in your face. The black pavement under the traffic-yellow, its like caution: be aware, Love said.

The Saturday kickoff of the project started with Spike Lee, Reverend Al Sharpton, and the state Attorney General Letitia James hoisting paint rollers together. The street art was dedicated with Cornegys Soul Sunday event with local church leaders.

State Attorney General Letitia James, Rev. Al Sharpton, Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., Billie Holiday Theatre's director Indira Etwaroo, Spike Lee, and artist Dawud West, at the kickoff of the BLM street art project. Courtesy of the Billie Holiday Theatre

I think the mood here is very celebratory, which gives us a break against the stark reality of being black in this country, Cornegy said of the project. So, it hasn't changed the mood overall but for one moment in time, we're able to celebrate the community coming out and painting -- if you notice, most of the painting is being done by community residents, which means that they have a stake in this. This is not something that's happening to them, but being done for them. And that's the difference. A lot of times what we feel is Black Americans, whether it's policy or legislation, you feel that is being done to us as opposed to being done for us. This is one of those days where the community gets to come out and actually participate in the painting.

Another aerial shot of the BLM street art in Bed-Stuy. Filip Wolak

This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that a street in every borough would be named after the Black Lives Matter movement. Though the initiative was supposed to commence near City Hall, West said the Bed-Stuy mural was a bonus.

Bill de Blasio wanted one of these in every borough, West said. So if he wants it in every borough -- heres one right now.

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Photos: Bed-Stuy Gets Its Own Gigantic "Black Lives Matter" Street Painting - Gothamist

Inside Biography

Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. is an Americancivil rights activist,Baptistminister who also talk show hostand politician.His critics express him as a political radical who is to blame, in part, for the deterioration of race relations.

Sharpton is 64 years old. He was born on October 3, 1954, in New York City, New York, the U.S. Sharpton belongs to American nationality and of Cherokee ethnicity.

His fathers name is Alfred Charles Sharpton, Sr. and mothers name is Ada Richards. Mr. Alfred was a Brooklyn based businessman. He has a brother, Kenneth Sharpton Glasgow and two sisters: Cheryl Sharpton and Ernestine Sharpton.

Al does not respect his dad Alfred because his father left his family and had an affair with his step-daughter.

Sharpton graduated fromSamuel J. Tilden High Schoolin Brooklyn and attendeddropping out after two years in 1975 Brooklyn College.

While in school, he was involved in civil rights movements, which was prominent in several high profile protests. Similarly, it was poised to bring equality between black and white Americans.

Sharpton developed his commanding speaking behavior as a child and a churchgoer who has commanded a minister at age 10. He was best characterized as a Social/political activist and religious leader. Sharpton became the best fighter and a roaring voice in the fight opposite to racial prejudice and injustice against Americans of black origin.

This fight saw him get into different problems and even surviving an assassination attempt. He contested the election for different political offices at various times but is not popular to have been an elected officeholder. In one of his disastrous political outings, he intimated that winning political posts might not have been his ultimate goal.

Furthermore, Sharpton founded theNational Action Network, an organization designed to increase voter education, to provide services to those inpoverty, and to support small community businesses in 1981. Moreover, In 1999, Sharpton attends a protest to raise awareness about the death of Amadou Diallo, an immigrant fromGuineawho was shot to death byNYPDofficers.

He was jailed for 90 days on trespassing charges while protesting against U.S. military target practice exercises inPuerto Riconear a United States Navy bombing site in 2001.In 2002, Sharpton has involved in protests ensuing the death of West African immigrantOusmane Zongo.

He held a press conference to highlight what he said was the unequal treatment of four suspected rapists in a high-profile crime in the Dunbar Village Housing Projects inWest Palm Beach, Florida on March 11, 2008.

Shooting of Trayvon MartinbyGeorge Zimmerman, Sharpton led several protests and rallies criticizing theSanford Police Departmentover the handling of the shooting in 2012. Sharpton called for the federal government to stop maintaining theJefferson Memorialin Washington, D.C in August 2017.

Though he was a well-known Politician there is no information that he has received many awards and nominations.

Sharpton lives a comfortable and public active life. He has an estimated net worth between $500,000 dollars to $5 million. In 2014, Sharpton and his large businesses owed a combined $4.7 million dollars in taxes. However, he has well paid off more than $2 million of the debt.

There is a rumor run byAmid 2020 presidential thatBeto ORourke is meeting with controversial Democratic leader Sharpton, who is known for his anti-Semitic rhetoric. Sharpton has frequently sparkedcontroversywith his harsh language.Last November, The New York Times announced that the MSNBC host has regularly sidestepped the sort of obligations most people see as inevitable, like taxes, rent, and other bills.

Sharpton is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 59 kg. He has Dark brown eye color and Gray hair color. His body measurement is (43-14-32). Sharptons shoe size is 11(US) and his dress size is not available.

Sharpton is active on social media. He has over 5,24,462 followers on Facebook, around 240k followers on Instagram, and more than 586k followers on Twitter.

To know more about birth facts, family, childhood, education, profession, awards, net worth, rumors, body measurements and social media profile of Felisha Terrell, Olivia Culpo, and Brian Hollins, please click on the link.

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Al Sharpton - Bio, Married, Wife, Net Worth, Ethnicity ...

6 P.M. Weather ReportLisa Meadows is tracking the storm system heading through the Twin Cities tonight, (3:50).WCCO 4 News at 6 June 6, 2020

Minority-Owned Small Business Owners Host Pop-Up Shop EventThis pop-up event will continue Saturday from noon until 7p.m., Norman Seawright III reports (2:15). WCCO 4 News at 6 June 6, 2020

Drive-Thru Commencement Brings Hope For Mpls. Private School GradsOn Saturday, each graduating senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School was honored at a drive-thru commencement ceremony, Bill Hudson reports (1:59).WCCO 4 News at 6 June 6, 2020

Kids March In St. Paul For George FloydEver since George Floyd died, there have been marches across the city, but on Saturday morning in St. Paul, a march was formed specifically for the youngest generation to come together and have their voices heard, Marielle Mohs reports (2:07).WCCO 4 News at 6 June 6, 2020

Mayor Frey Gives Statement At Protest For Not Supporting Defunding MPDProtesters marched through Minneapolis when Mayor Frey was spotted amongst the crowd to give a few words, David Schuman reports (2:07). WCCO 4 News at 6 June 6, 2020

5 P.M. Weather ReportWith heat and humidity building, Monday is expected to feel like 100 to 110 degrees, Lisa Meadows reports (3:31).WCCO 4 News at 5 June 6, 2020

Protesters March In Minneapolis Calling On Mayor Frey To Defund MPDA tribute for George Floyd continued this weekend, as the group marching through Minneapolis is calling on Mayor Frey to defund the Minneapolis Police Department, David Schuman reports (2:01).WCCO 4 News at 5 June 6, 2020

drone footage - delete laterdrone

George Floyd's Brother Remembers 'Gentle Giant'George Floyd's brother speaks about his memory, looking up to him, and cheering him on at his sports games (1:39). WCCO 4 Saturday Morning - June 6, 2020

WCCO Digital Update: Morning Of June 6, 2020Jennifer Mayerle reports on the latest Minnesota headlines (01:23).WCCO Saturday Morning -- June 6, 2020

4 Things You Need To KnowHere are the four things you need to know on May 23 (1:19).WCCO Saturday Morning -- June 6, 2020

Connecting Community Members With Opportunities To Give BackJennifer Mayerle talks with Debra G, co-founder of the group Essentials For Our Community, a facebook page dedicated to connecting community members with opportunities to donate, volunteers, and offer support (). WCCO 4 Saturday Morning - June 6, 2020

Saturday Morning Weather ReportMike Augustyniak reports active weather is on the way! Sunday will see building heat and humidity, with Monday feeling like 100 degrees (4:15). WCCO 4 Saturday Morning - June 6, 2020

As Gov. Walz Turns Back COVID-19 Dial, Officials Urge Protesters To Get Tested For COVID-19Gov. Walz announced Friday he was turning back the dial on COVID-19, allowing the limited opening of restaurants and bars. Assistant Commissioner Dan Huff speaks with Jennifer Mayerle about what this could mean for the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota, and encourages protesters to get tested for the virus (5:29). WCCO 4 Saturday Morning - June 6, 2020

Minneapolis City Council Bans Choke HoldsAt an emergency meeting Friday, Minneapolis City Council voted to forbid the use of chokeholds by Minneapolis police (1:38). WCCO 4 News Saturday Morning - June 6, 2020

George Floyd Marches Throughout The NationMarches continued throughout the United States and Minneapolis on Friday, calling for justice for George Floyd (2:09). WCCO 4 Saturday Morning - June 6, 2020

10 P.M. Weather ReportThere is a chance of storms on Sunday morning and throughout the week as hot weather rolls in, Lisa Meadows reports (4:04).WCCO 4 News at 10 June 5, 2020

Former Mpls. Hotel Transforms Into Shelter For Those Who Lost Homes During ProtestsA former Sheraton hotel, right near the sight of last week's fires in Minneapolis, is being used in a completely unique way, Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield reports (2:38).WCCO 4 News at 10 June 5, 2020

Gov. Tim Walz Says State Can Turn Dial Again, To Allow Indoor Dining, Limited Gym UseStarting Wednesday, June 10, the state will allow indoor seating at restaurants, limited to just 50% capacity. Walz said that gyms were also going to be allowed to open but only at 25% capacity, with a cap at 250 people total, Erin Hassanzadeh reports (2:18).WCCO 4 News at 10 June 5, 2020

'Take A Knee' Rally Continues, As Athletes Talk About Continuing Momentum Of The Black Lives Matter MovementMike Max reports live from U.S. Bank Stadium, where people are participating in a 'Take A Knee' rally for George Floyd (2:25). WCCO 4 News at 10 June 5, 2020

Community Discusses New Police Protocol Over No More ChokeholdsThe Minneapolis City Council has made some changes that will take effect in the next 10 days, David Schuman reports (2:16).WCCO 4 News at 10 June 5, 2020

Artists Take Action To Remember George FloydArtists draw murals in South Minneapolis to remember George Floyd (1:33). WCCO 4 News At 6 - June 5, 2020

6 P.M. Weather ReportA beautiful and clear day Friday afternoon, though the winds are picking up, Lisa Meadows reports (3:05). WCCO 4 News At 6 - June 5, 2020

Minnesota Sports Community Provides Supplies, Food To Those In NeedThe Minnesota sports community, including the Vikings, helped provide food and supplies at the Cub foods in Minneapolis, Norman Seawright reports (2:26). WCCO 4 News At 6 - June 5, 2020

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Unpacking The Message Of Re. Al Sharpton's George Floyd Eulogy - WCCO | CBS Minnesota

New York (AFP) - Reverend Al Sharpton, who made an impassioned plea for racial justice at a memorial service for George Floyd on Thursday, is a flamboyant but polarizing long-time black civil rights activist who once dreamed of occupying the White House.

Admirers laud the sharply dressed, 65-year-old Baptist minister and talk show host for the half-century he has spent campaigning to right wrongs against the US' African-American community.

But critics have accused Sharpton, who placed himself at the center of some of the most racially explosive issues of the 1980s in his native New York, of being a divisive racial provocateur.

Never shy of the spotlight, he has mellowed over the years and adopted a more considered persona, swapping the trademark tracksuit of his early activist days with pin-striped suits.

The big hair has also gone, and Sharpton doesn't quite cut the same imposing figure physically as he used to, but his fire still burns brightly.

"America, this is the time for dealing with accountability in the criminal justice system," he told the memorial for Floyd, who died on May 27 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

"We won't stop," added Sharpton, referring to the mass protests convulsing the United States.

"We're going to keep going until we change the whole system of justice."

Born in Brooklyn, in October 1954, Sharpton gave notice of his oratorical skills by preaching in a church service when he was just four years old.

Aged nine, he was ordained a Pentecostal minister. Martin Luther King was assassinated when he was 13 years old.

Sharpton, while still in his teens, was chosen by the Reverend Jesse Jackson as the New York youth director of a national initiative aimed at tackling poverty in black neighborhoods.

His life underwent a radical shift in 1973 when he met the soul singer James Brown backstage at a concert, and he ended up spending the next several years on the road as part of Brown's entourage.

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There, he met his future wife, Kathy Jordan, who was one of Brown's backup singers.

Sharpton's political activism came to the fore in the early 1980s, when racial tensions climbed sharply in New York City.

In 1985, he made the national news leading protests against Bernard Goetz, a white man who shot four black teenagers trying to mug him on a subway and was acquitted for acting in self-defense.

The success of the demonstrations set a pattern, as Sharpton went on to rally supporters over similar incidents, including protests over the accidental running down of a young black boy by a Hasidic rabbi's motorcade -- an event that triggered violent clashes between black and Jewish communities.

- Controversy -

Critics saw his tactics as divisive, opportunistic and inflammatory, pointing especially to the 1987 case of 15-year-old Tawana Brawley, a black girl who claimed to have been raped by six white men, some of whom were police officers.

Sharpton became Brawley's most vocal supporter and famously accused an assistant district attorney of involvement in the rape.

A grand jury later determined that Brawley made up the incident, and Sharpton was compelled to pay the attorney $65,000 for defamation. However, to the fury of his detractors, he is not known to have apologized.

"For some, that case defines my career and is the sole reason I should not be supported by anyone in this country," he wrote in his 2002 book, "Al On America."

"For me, it defines my career because I refused to bend or bow -- no matter the pressures. I took the word of a young girl, and if I had to do it over, I would do it again."

As his stature grew, he found himself accused of misusing funds and ran into tax trouble.

Sharpton ran for the Senate from New York in 1992 and 1994, as well as for New York City mayor in 1997. He failed in all three attempts but got enough votes to be taken seriously by his rivals.

He says a near-fatal stabbing in 1991 that occurred as he was readying to lead a protest march led him to be "less flippant, and more sober" in style.

"I couldn't shoot from the hip so much," he said.

In 2004, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination but lost every race.

While Sharpton has tempered his approach, he remains outspoken, riling President Donald Trump last year in a dispute over Baltimore, which is majority black.

Trump, who has known Sharpton for years, branded him a "con man, a troublemaker."

"I make trouble for bigots," Sharpton fired back.

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Al Sharpton: the black rights firebrand still fighting injustice - Yahoo News