The world wouldn’t have known the severity of George Floyd’s arrest and death if it weren’t for the cell phone footage a high school senior shared on social media the moment it happened. For that act of courage, one of the most prestigious organizations honored her at a virtual gala on Tuesday (Dec. 8). PEN America, a non-profit “literary and free expression” organization, awarded Source: The Washington Post / Getty the 2020 PEN/Benenson Courage Award for documenting the heartbreaking event with remarkable grace and fortitude. Darnella Frazier’s extraordinary courage in the face of grave personal danger to document the death of George Floyd changed the history of our country and the world. Congratulations to Darnella Frazier on receiving the 2020 PEN/Benenson Courage Awar...
Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN The teenager who captured the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police and started a worldwide movement is being honored with a medal of courage from a prestigious nonprofit. On Tuesday (Oct 27) PEN America announced they were honoring 17-year-old Darnella Frazier with the 2020 PEN/Beneson Award. “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 CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement. “With remarkable steadiness, Darnella carried out the expressive act of bearing witness, and allowing hundreds of millions around the world to see what she saw.” On May 25, Frazier recorded Minneapol...
Source: avid_creative / Getty Well, that was quick. Cops is returning to television four months after Paramount Network canceled the show amid nationwide protests surrounding George Floyd’s death. In June, the network claimed it was moving away from unscripted programming when it pulled and subsequently canceled the long-running show from its schedule. As it turns out, Paramount Network had every intention to revive the show once the protests cooled off. The streets are still hot. Police brutality is a running theme in the news, and protests are growing strong simultaneously in various cities across the nation. So, why have Cops producers resumed filming? According to Deadline, they were “producing fresh episodes for international territories only, and there are no ...
Kyle Meredith With… Bob Mould Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Bob Mould speaks with Kyle Meredith about his politically-charged new album Blue Hearts. The former Hüsker Dü frontman discusses the diversity of the Minneapolis scene during his band’s early days, what it’s been like to watch his old town during the George Floyd era, and the differences between ’80s politics and today. Mould also reminisces on his then-struggles as a gay man and how they informed the band’s iconic Zen Arcade. Mould then goes on to to talk about the upcoming presidential election, how helping trans people is the current focus in the LGBTQ+ community, and how his new song “Forecast of Rain” reflects on h...
Source: Twitter / Twiiter Everyone should give a slow-clap for police finally finding the man who started the riot in Minneapolis months back. When protests erupted in May over the senseless death of George Floyd, the city erupted into an emotionally charged protest heard all around the world. On-the-ground footage flooding social media timelines showed angry protestors crowding the streets while demanding justice for another life lost due to police brutality. One video, in particular, recorded an intimidatingly tall, white male dressed in all black defacing a local AutoZone store. While holding an umbrella, the individual, aptly nicknamed “Umbrella Man,” is seen taking a sledgehammer and breaking the store windows. Protesters confronted him before he eventually walked away.&nb...
Source: NurPhoto / Getty Former Minnesota police officer and George Floyd’s murderer, Officer Derek Chauvin is also in trouble when it comes to his finances. Prosecutors announced on Wednesday (Jul.22) that Chauvin and his now ex-wife have been slapped with multiple tax-related felonies. According to a complaint, the couple filed fraudulent tax returns from 2014 through 2019. Per the New York Times: Mr. Chauvin and his wife, Kellie Chauvin, failed to file income tax returns and pay Minnesota income taxes, and underreported and underpaid income taxes, according to Washington County prosecutors. The investigation into six years of tax filings, prosecutors said, also showed that the Chauvins did not pay the proper amount of sales tax on a vehicle. The charges against Mr. Chauvin and Ms. ...
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public The Jayhawks lead man Gary Louris speaks with Kyle Meredith about XOXO. The new album finds the Americana legends heavily collaborating and features each member on the mic for lead vocals. Louris discusses the album’s artwork; themes of depression, anxiety, and the 24-hour news cycle; and life in Minneapolis since the murder of George Floyd. Louris also says the band could have recorded 30 records if the industry allowed them, but teases a finished solo album. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the artist’s work to find out how th...
Source: Fred Lee / Getty Iconic family sitcom, The Wonder Years, is coming back to TV, only this time it’s going to be all Black. According to published reports, the 1988 coming-of-age dramedy set in the late 1960s and early 70s that told the story of teen Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage) and his suburban family, is now getting a reboot that will tell the story of American life during the pivotal Civil Right Era from a Black perspective. Produced by Lee Daniels, the reboot will be set during the same time period, except it will focus on a Black family in Montgomery, Alabama. “How a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama in the turbulent late 1960’s, the same era as the original series, made sure it was The Wonder Years for them too,” the show description read. ...