It’s widely recognized that without the video recording of Derek Chauvin murdering George Floyd with his knee, the Minneapolis police officer may have very well not have been convicted. Thankfully things turned out differently due to the courage and quick-thinking of teenage witness Darnella Frazier — her cell phone recording of the fatal incident ended up being a key form of evidence to officially find Chauvin guilty of 2nd-degree murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter.

Due to her commendable efforts, Frazier is now being officially awarded a special citation in this year’s Pulitzer Prize.

According to TMZ, the honor was presented in unison with the prestigious journalism award that was given to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune for the publication’s reporting on Floyd’s death and the aftermath. As Pulitzer Prize co-chair Mindy Marqués put it, “The Floyd story, in particular, highlighted not only the essential role of journalists, but the increasing importance of ordinary citizens in the quest for truth and justice,” also adding, “We want to note that the board has awarded a special citation to Darnella Frazier, the teenage witness who filmed and posted the transformative video that jolted viewers and spurred protests against police brutality around the world.”

Darnella was only 17 years old when she witnessed the fatal arrest and acted fast to catch the whole ordeal on camera. Once her clip hit social media, a global outcry to avenge Floyd’s death and stop police brutality altogether was sparked. We still thank that young queen for being so courageous!

For all that Darnella had to endure in the year following the viral murder she caught on camera, which include moving away from home for safety and anxiety attacks that severely interrupted her sleep pattern, this is an honor that is well-deserved and hopefully leads to more accolades for her.

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