Darnella Frazier, teen who filmed George Floyd’s death, receives special Pulitzer Prize

Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded a comprehensive video of the killing of George Floyd last May, was recognized on Friday by The Pulitzer Prize board.

Darnella Frazier receives special Pulitzer Prize

Frazier, who was 17 at the time of the incident, was awarded a special citation for “courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that sparked protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists’ quest for truth and justice,” the organization said. The citation at the 2021 Pulitzer Prize ceremony is a rare instance of the board recognizing the journalistic achievement of someone with no professional experience in the field, akin to citizen journalism.    

She courageously recorded George Floyd’s fatal police encounter

Floyd’s death while in police custody became a symbol of police brutality – particularly against Black people. Darnella Frazier, who is now 18, said that witnessing and filming the incident — which culminated in Chauvin’s conviction in what advocates called one of the most important civil rights cases in decades — changed her. “I’m not who I used to be,” she wrote in a tribute posted in May. She told jurors that she was taking her nine-year-old cousin to buy snacks when she saw “a man terrified, scared, begging for his life,” and so pulled out her cellphone and hit record. She uploaded the video to Facebook later that night, where it would be watched by millions of people around the world. Derek Chauvin was found guilty and is expected to be sentenced on June 25.