Darnella Frazier – the teenager who used her smartphone to record the video of his murder George Floyd in May 2020 that sparked a wave of movement protests Black Lives Matter which led to the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin - received special mention from the Pulitzer Board.
Frazier was cited as "recording the death of George Floyd, a video that sparked protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in the search for truth and justice," the Pulitzer Prize-winning council said. (PDF).
Frazier video, which was shown millions times, sparked one of the largest protest movements in American history and showed how a smartphone with a camera can be a powerful tool for documenting police brutality and racial injustice.
Frazier was 17 when she shot the video and uploaded it to Facebook. He also testified at Chauvin's trial, a trial that eventually ended in one record landmark: "the first time in Minnesota history that a white police officer was convicted of killing a black citizen while services", according to the Star Tribune. (The Star Tribune was awarded a Pulitzer Prize on Friday for its coverage of Floyd's death and its aftermath.)
"Even if it was a traumatic experience that changed my life, I am proud of myself," Frazier said on the anniversary of Floyd's death.
"If it were not for my video, people would not know the truth. "My video did not save George Floyd, but removed his killer from the streets."
