Tribute To Darnella Frazier
Unanticipated Witness to Truth for Change
In these tumultuous times, so many of us ask ourselves, “What can I do to help make a change?” There are so many ways that what we do can impact change - in relationships, in our households, city politics, or even changes that could eventually affect the entire world.
“The fall of dropping water wears away the stone.”
Each of us has the potential opportunity to become the voice that speaks the truth, the pen that writes the untold stories, or the eyes of a witness to injustice. The world needs to thank 17-year-old Darnella Frazier for standing bravely for those 9 ½ minutes as the most critical witness to the public execution of George Floyd. He was a brother, father, uncle, and a mother's son, just like any other mother's son. George Floyd’s life may have been flawed, and he may have traveled some crooked paths, but he was still a human being whose life should have been valued. But on May 25, 2020, his life was not. It has taken 11 months to come to any semblance of justice in this tragic case and will take a whole lot longer to undo all of the wrongs that were perpetrated under the guise of equal justice over too many years to count. Sometimes small deeds are just great seeds planted to make change happen. Remember:
“Inside every acorn is a mighty oak tree waiting to grow.”
Darnella was troubled because she was unable to save George Floyd's life. However, by 'divine assignment,' she was at the right place at the right time. Sadly, this egregious story continues to repeat itself like the plot of the movie 'Groundhog Day.' Over and over again, this has continued for decades without judiciously fair resolution. Without continuous developments in technology and the creation of camera phones at the turn of the 21st century, Darnella may not have recorded this critical moment in history.
As fate would have it, she was there, standing with her camera phone in hand. From the beginning of this horrific scene, Darnella captured each painful moment as it played out in front of about a dozen bystanders. She quietly recorded every bit of this painful truth. At that moment, she was planting seeds for change. With the changes to come, she might be the seed planted that will potentially save thousands of Black lives that matter.
Photo Credit: Darnella Frazier/ Instagram
Eleven months after George Floyd’s death, on April 20, 2021, history will forever record this day as the one when an acorn began to grow that now has the potential to become a mighty tree of justice for all. New possibilities abound because one person did what seemed like a tiny thing. She stood, with tears in her eyes and pain in her heart. However, she also had the determination to make sure that she told the truth around the world. Again, her message arrived within 10 minutes to millions across the globe via Facebook because of modern technology. Now the world could see this painful scene.
We must now make sure that the name Darnella Frazier is never forgotten, along with the faces of the countless numbers of men and women who unknowingly contributed to possible changes in the law by sacrificing their young lives.
Change is not always swift but comes with the wearing away of a stone – one continuous drip of water at a time – making a difference persistently over time.
The world thanks you, Darnella Frazier, for being one more drop of water that changed the trajectory of this long-overdue justice in America to a whole new level of priority. The rest is up to each of us to do whatever small part we can in the struggle to change so many wrongs.
