Justice for George Floyd: This is the 17-year-old Who Filmed His Murder

By Isabella Ullmann

Whether you saw it on a local news outlet, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, it’s likely you’ve encountered the horrifying footage of George Floyd’s murder by now. For most viewers, however, it’s unlikely they know the story behind the teen who captured the footage that sparked the global upheaval. This week on Shining a Light, meet 17-year-old digital activist and filmmaker: Darnella Frazier.

Darnella, along with her baby cousin, was walking to the grocery store when she saw what was happening to George Floyd and pulled out her phone to videotape the event. The next day, she posted the video to her Facebook page, and it soon went viral.

This week, Shine Global is shining a light on Darnella for being a new, and extremely important type of activist in 2020: a digital activist. Without such important yet mortifying visual content, it’s unlikely that the event would have sparked the necessary change that it did. With that in mind, you’d think that Darnella would be applauded for being brave enough to capture the event. Yet, she is being harassed by people for not physically intervening. Darnella responded to such claims on Facebook below: 

On the flip side, many news outlets have referred to her lawyer’s quote about her being “the next Rosa Parks of her generation,” and others have celebrated her as “The Most Influential Filmmaker of the Century.” At Shine, we are dedicated to honoring young activists who take stands against social injustices, and applaud Darnella for her efforts. Click here to see the whole “Shining A Light” video:

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