National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk? No, let's try George Floyd Remembrance Day instead
October 14, the birthday of George Floyd and Charlie Kirk, is a perfect example of why astrology is nonsense
The following post is part of my former Substack publication “One Black Woman’s Vote” that is now in “I Do See Color.” To see more OBWV posts from 2025, click here. To see OBWV posts from 2021-2024, click here. For OBWV posts from 2026, click here. In 2026, new OBWV posts will be published on the second Saturday of each month.
Every time I meet someone who can’t wait 60 seconds before announcing their zodiac sign, I remember how annoying I was during my college years. I used to do the same thing. Even when they meet other people, the first thing they ask is about that person’s sign, immediately blaming every con and complimenting every pro on a sun sign.
Nowadays, if I really want to ruffle some feathers, I’ll bring up Ophiuchus — a constellation that astrologers keep rejecting as the 13th zodiac sign. Some folks would go hysterical if they found out they’re actually another zodiac sign. Meanwhile, I currently couldn’t care less.
I don’t recall what exactly made me lose interest in zodiac signs. In my 20s, I was so obsessed with the idea that I dated one man in every zodiac sign so I could compare his personality to the descriptions. I already knew what it was like to be around my own zodiac sign*; my brother and I are the same sign although born in different months. When we get along, we’re BFFs who crack jokes, make up dance moves and behave like children. But when we do not get along, his wife once said she wanted to melt into the floor because it felt like a war was about to initiate. She’s not wrong.
While my father** quietly observed us long enough to make sure we weren’t going to tear up my childhood home, my mother*** is the only person who could calm either of us down. (Scroll to the bottom to see what all of our zodiac signs are if you’re still determined to guess.) But my brother (who I love dearly) and I have absolutely nothing in common personality-wise — besides having the same temper and loving all things Halloween.
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When I hear people discussing their astrological signs now and swearing it’s all true, my first thought is: My grandfather has the same birthdate as Donald Trump, and I cannot think of anybody on Planet Earth who is more different than my father’s father.
Even if you believe in the two different personalities of a Gemini and on my grandfather’s worst behavior (because he had an annoying habit of pointing out when women were overweight — and one huge argument with me made him stop doing it nearly as much), he still demanded that I “better vote for Hillary” as if it was up for discussion. (I did vote for Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primary election. When he lost, I didn’t hesitate to vote for Hillary Clinton in the general election that same year.) Meanwhile, my grandfather lived to be 95 and had plenty to say about Trump’s first presidency.
Politics and astrology: How this connects
Lately, astrology has been on my mind for a different reason. I’ve been trying to block out this nonsense regarding a National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.
It was bad enough to read that flags were flown at half staff for Charlie Kirk under the direction of the same guy who wanted the flags raised during the 30-day mourning period of former President Jimmy Carter.
Then the death of Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark Hortman and the Hortmans' Golden Retriever didn’t get nearly this much attention when they were killed on June 14. Neither did Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were shot earlier that same night by the same person. That Trump parade, disguised as a military parade, was discussed on all major platforms far more than these five. No flags lowered for them. No remembrance day for them either.
And I couldn’t be more disappointed in the four Illinois Democrats who supported Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day anyway, knowing how the Trump administration treated the heinous death of a member of Congress.
My gripe is not just because I have as much respect for Charlie Kirk as he does for Black women. Read: None! (Besides me, I can fill out a scroll full of Black women who “have the brain processing power to be taken seriously,” no matter his racist views about us. And yes, my list would indeed include FLOTUS Michelle Obama and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, two Black women who Charlie Kirk insulted by name.)
Still, it’s the specific remembrance date that repulses me more.
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Republicans want his remembrance day to be on October 14. Why? October 14 is Charlie Kirk’s birthday. While I could normally quietly ignore this, I found out that this is also George Floyd’s birthday. And there’s no way in hell I’m going to be dismissive of George Floyd’s birthday after the worldwide uproar over how the Fayetteville, North Carolina native was viciously killed. If anybody deserves a Remembrance Day, it’s George Floyd. But people who claimed to be allies in 2020 are suddenly silent in 2025. It shows just how much of a performer these same people were — and are.