The 2021 Pulitzer Prize announcements were revealed Friday, and perhaps the most noteworthy winner was Darnella Frazier.
The teenager who made the courageous choice to film the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin won a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.
Darnella Frazier helped spark a powerful movement for justice and change.
She witnessed an injustice and took action to ensure the nation couldn’t ignore it. A well-deserved recognition. https://t.co/xLXPLp6MZx
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) June 11, 2021
The impact of Frazier’s video is almost immeasurable. It’s difficult to imagine how things would have played out if she hadn’t been recording on May 25, 2020. That video helped spark a global conversation about race and law enforcement. The influence of Frazier’s recording could be seen in this year’s Pulitzer winners
I cannot explain how important it is that the Pulitzer Prize Committee awarded its Special Citation to Darnella Frazier for the video she took of George Floyd’s death at the hands of the murderer Derek Chauvin. https://t.co/y0s1PXfJSd
— jelani cobb (@jelani9) June 11, 2021
As The Poynter Institute pointed out, six Pulitzer Prize winners in 2021 involved journalism covering policing in America.
That includes the staff of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which won for breaking news coverage of Floyd’s murder, and the team of reporters from Reuters for explaining how qualified immunity shields police offices from prosecution.
The Pulitzer announcements were done virtually for the second consecutive year due to COVID-19.
The full list of this year’s winners can be found here.
I could not possibly love this more: congratulations Darnella Frazier on your well deserved honorary Pulitzer – what you did to expose the murder of George Floyd was brave, brilliant, and indeed, in the finest traditions of journalism 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿❤️ https://t.co/pDFyGBkYsn
— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid 😷 (@JoyAnnReid) June 11, 2021
