The
Prophetic
Lens
A critical, though, inanimate, and technological witness is the camera…What if there was no footage of George Floyd’s murder?...
As I watched the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer convicted of murdering Floyd on May 25, 2020, I realized how indispensable the footage on the camera phone recorded by Darnella Frazier had become…The camera is not just technology that is indispensable for documentation; it is a prophetic tool for Black moral agency.
The pictures you see here are images captured by the camera that have shed light on the violence endured by African Americans as well as pictures that depict blatant and subtle images of what white supremacy may look like. The pictures of Emmett Till catalyzed the Civil Rights Movement. The images of Bloody Sunday and other events captured the creative tension of the movement. The prophetic scene of the killing of Radio Raheem in Spike Lee’s classic film Do the Right Thing was a precursor to Eric Garner and George Floyd.
Nate Allen
In 1953 my grandfather Nate Allen was shot and killed by a White man who was also his employer. Witnesses remained silent. The men who tried to help stayed loyal to their boss and friend. The police department refused to investigate even though there was a bullet hole in the back of his head. But the lie continues to this day as his death certificate reads “accidental drowning.” Open Wounds first aims to honor my grandfather’s name, tell the truth about his murder and put words to my family’s intergenerational pain.