Darnella Frazier — the teenager who captured George Floyd‘s final minutes and started a worldwide movement — is getting an award from a prestigious nonprofit.
PEN America announced Tuesday they were honoring 17-year-old Darnella with its annual PEN/Benenson Courage Award. The org’s CEO, Suzanne Nossel, says, “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.”
Facebook/ Darnella Frazier
Nossel adds, “Without Darnella’s presence of mind and readiness to risk her own safety and wellbeing, we may never have known the truth about George Floyd’s murder. We are proud to recognize her exceptional courage with this award.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump — who reps George’s family now — praised Darnella as well on Twitter, saying she showed tremendous courage and the award was well-deserved.
As we reported … Darnella went through a lot of backlash in the immediate aftermath of her video being posted, with many questioning why she didn’t do more than record it. Her family told us they were seeking therapy to help Darnella cope with the emotional trauma.
Darnella will share the award with Marie Yovanovitch … the ex-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who helped expose President Trump‘s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden.