Ailish Elzy, 28, of Oakland, poses for a portrait in front of a George Floyd mural at 14th and Broadway during a George Floyd protest in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, June 3, 2020. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last week. Elzy is a grad student at San Francisco State and an Oakland Museum employee.

“It’s just important to take care of Oakland and be here, showing our city and our people that we love and appreciate them. We have to protect our city and our people. It’s really hard to compartmentalize being here and also having to go to work and go to school. Having those separate is difficult because you’re just constantly Black.”