RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Upon learning a Minneapolis jury reached a verdict in the killing of George Floyd, 1,200 miles away in Raleigh, his uncle, Roger Floyd, said a prayer.

“We are indeed a family of faith, and God has allowed us to endure this,” Floyd said.

The trial brought back in vivid detail his nephew’s agonizing final moments. Ultimately, Floyd said, it brought justice.

“We got the verdict that we prayed for, that we had hoped for,” Floyd said. “In my heart of hearts, that was the only verdict that they could render.”

Amid his relief and gratitude, the still-grieving uncle felt something that may seem surprising.

“I felt sad, believe it or not, for Derek Chauvin. Why? He’s a human being. He just made an egregious mistake, but he has a family, as well. So, being an individual of faith, you know that comes across my mind,” Floyd said.

The impact of this verdict reaches far beyond Minneaopolis or North Carolina, where George Floyd was born and still has a number of family members.

“Something happened today,” Floyd said. “Something that’s going to create a significant change going forward.”

He said that change started the day George Floyd was murdered.

“May 25, 2020, is when the world really was awakened by what was happening right in front of them.”

Roger Floyd asking people to commemorate May 25 by standing up for equality and justice. It’s a day he terms the “Day of Enlightenment.”

Nearly a year after his nephew was killed, Floyd said the verdict is only the beginning.

“We want to give back to society,” he said. “We have established the George Floyd Memorial Center right here in Raleigh, North Carolina.”

The George Floyd Memorial Center is raising money to provide scholarships, as well as leadership, technology, and career training.

“We will never stop pushing forward because we’ve got some work,” Floyd said. “A lot of work to do.”