Darnella Frazier, the teenager who recorded the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis last May has been granted PEN America's PEN/Benenson Courage Award, The Associated Press reports.
"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," PEN America chief executive Suzanne Nossel announced in a Tuesday statement.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was forced out of her post by President Donald Trump's administration and testified in his impeachment trial, will share the award with Frazier.
"Darnella Frazier took an enormous amount of flak in the wake of releasing the video," Nossel told the AP. "People were accusing her of being in it for the money, or for being famous, or were asking why she didn't intervene. And it was just left this way. We wanted to go back and recognize and elevate this singular act."
PEN's annual gala, which was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will take place virtually in December.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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