The girl who recorded the video seen around the world is now being honored with an award for her courage.
There aren’t too many people who have the quick-wit to film an injustice when it is taking place, but she did. Most people would have just walked along going about their day, but she hadn’t because she felt a responsibility to capture that moment.
Now she has been honored with an award for her bravery and rightfully so. This award ceremony took place in December of 2020 and was held virtually. I don’t doubt that her friends and family were very proud of her actions that day and since.
If you would like to learn about more Black women having a positive impact on the black community, read up on this article about Toni Morrison, a Black woman who has lived an amazing life and has written a lot of books based off of the Black experience
Who Is This Young Girl?
Darnella Frazier is the 17-year-old girl who filmed the incident that day. She is a senior in high school in the Minneapolis area. Frazier was born and raised in St.Paul, Minnesota, and had a pretty normal childhood until that day. She grew up playing volleyball and basketball and even made it to varsity with both in high school. She also sings and enjoys debate and fashion.
When she is working hard at school and playing sports, she has a job at a pretzel shop. There, she was promoted to manager and works hard to run the shop.
Frazier was the girl who recorded the officer Derek Cauvin kneeling on the neck of George Floyd in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her video had quickly spread across social media stirring up outrage across the nation. Her documentation of the incident became an essential part of the later trial and conviction of Derek Chauvin and the mobilization of BLM supporters across the country who took to the streets to march.
What Award Is She Being Honored With?
Darnella Frazier, the young girl who recorded the video, is being awarded the PEN/Benson Courage Award. The organization even called her “a quick-thinking and dauntless young woman.” This is a prestigious award that is incredibly impressive for not only a 17-year-old girl but anyone really. The PEN/Benson organization was founded in 1922.
According to their website, PEN America “works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literature of others.”
Along with Frazier, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch will receive the 2020 PEN/Benson Courage Award.
The organization was happy to award her this achievement after her work not too long ago. Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, had this to say about Frazier’s courageous actions. “With nothing more than a cell phone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police.” She went on to say “With remarkable steadiness, Darnella carried out the expressive act of bearing witness, and allowing hundreds of millions around the world to see what she saw. Without Darnella’s presence of mind and readiness to risk her own safety and wellbeing, we may never have known the truth about George Floyd’s murder. We are proud to recognize her exceptional courage with this award.” The organization is obviously very happy to play a role in showing their appreciation for Frazier and young people who take a stand against racism. Her courage certainly was not lost on them.
Frazier’s Strength Since Documenting Floyd’s Death
Since documenting the death of George Floyd, Darnella Frazier has testified at the trial of Derick Chauvin. It took bravery for her to decide as big of a decision as taking a stand in a trial as big as this one. She put her name and face out there for everyone to see without fear or regard for any negative backlash.
While testifying, she stated that she lived in the neighborhood where the incident took place for more than 5 years and had walked to the Cup Foods where Floyd was arrested many times. On the stand she testified that she saw “a man terrified, scared, begging for his life” that day. Darnella Frazier then took a moment to cry as she continued describing how she checked on her younger cousin who was also quite terrified. Her younger cousin waited inside the store while Frazier was outside. This same cousin also testified on the stand for the trial.
Frazier states that “It wasn’t right,” she said. Floyd “was suffering, he was in pain.” She is right. It wasn’t right and it took a lot of courage for her to recognize this and say this on the stand and think this while leaving the store the day of the incident.
Testifying on the stand was not the only difficult task for Frazier, she also faced a lot of criticism after recording the video. Some people were angry to see that Frazier didn’t intervene during Floyd’s assault. However, she is heard in the video asking police to stop multiple times.
Frazier had this to say about their criticism: “I don’t expect anyone who wasn’t placed in my position to understand why and how I feel the way that I do,” Frazier said days after Floyd’s death. “MIND YOU I am a minor! 17 years old, of course, I’m not about to fight off a cop.”
What A Courageous Young Women!
Darnella Frazier went out of her way to document George Floyd’s death and later went on trial to prosecute Derick Chauvin who was the officer who was kneeling on Floyd’s neck at the time of the assault. It took courage for her to do both things, so it great that she is being awarded by the PEN/Benson organization for it.
We hope that Darnella will continue her activism and courageous actions as she graduated from high school and goes on to college or any other line of work that she desires.
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