The tragic, inexcusable death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, has arrested the attention of the world and galvanized the hopes of Americans who wonder if perhaps, this time, a vile act of injustice might prove the decisive catalyst in focusing needful attention on systemic racism and its numerous manifestations in American society, and at last compel necessary and substantive reform.
But not as many, perhaps, have focused on the courageous young woman who recorded this terrible act on her cell phone, thus making possible the pursuit of justice which might not otherwise have occurred.
Her name is Darnella Frazier, seventeen years of age. Like so many similar events in the human story, her presence at a pivotal moment was unintended. Yet she seized the moment, video-recording the ten minutes and six seconds in which George Floyd was murdered, which she posted on her Facebook page at 2:26 a.m. on the morning after Floyd’s death [1}. Since that moment, millions of Americans have taken to the streets to protest racial injustice in general and police brutality in particular.
One reporter has stated, regarding Frazier’s role in this affair:
Not enough respect has been paid to Frazier and the incredible craftsmanship she displayed in recording this tragedy for posterity. Using her iPhone with a 2x optical zoom, Frazier subtly moved within a chaotic tableau to capture the last gasps of Floyd, and, only when called for, panned her camera away from Floyd to capture the dismay of onlookers. She caught the utter mystery of the stoic Chauvin, and the minute adjustments of his knee-to-neck chokehold on Floyd. Her hand was steady as these onlookers and Tou Thao, Chauvin’s sidekick/human traffic cone, occasionally blocked her view of Floyd and Chauvin [2].
Because of her having dared to record this horrific event, the above reporter has ventured to call Frazier “the most influential filmmaker of the century” [3]. Some might call that accolade excessive, but her willingness to be more than a passive bystander to a pivotal moment will earn her a notable place in the annals of American justice.
The Empire of the Young
Decisive change in the human experience, whether sacred or secular, has often been penned in the script of youthful courage. The Biblical saga of Joseph’s faithfulness to God in a heathen land and his ultimate ascent to supreme power in the world of that time, Moses’ integrity at an even younger age in that same cultural context, David’s battle with Goliath, the uncompromising witness of Daniel and his companions in the court of Babylon, the courage of the Waldenses as they spread the Bible through medieval Europe, young Martin Luther at Wittenberg, the early Adventist pioneers—all have intrigued minds and inspired hearts among the striving faithful throughout the ages.
In our own time, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has stood in awe at the rise and growth of the movement known as Generation of Youth for Christ (GYC), whose commitment to the church’s distinctive doctrinal and moral summons and its proclamation to a needy world has truly been unique in denominational history. Movements for spiritual revival at any generational level are difficult to sustain over time, and GYC has maintained its focus and numerical strength for a period approaching twenty years. No student of such forces in any realm, spiritual or otherwise, can fail to marvel at this. One recalls the rebuke of our Lord to the first-century Christian church for having left its first love (Rev. 2:4), and the later musings of Franklin Roosevelt at a pivotal point in his political career, in which he noted the sad truth that “people tire quickly of ideals” [4].
Like the religious movements noted above, the modern American civil rights and peace movements have been similarly powered by youthful passion. The current protest marches memorializing the death of George Floyd have been driven and guided by the same generational forces [5]. Historian Simon Schama may have said it best when he wrote: “Revolutions are the empire of the young” [6].
The Decisive Moment
But zeal is no substitute for discernment. The wise recognition of a decisive moment, as in Darnella Frazier’s case, is a gift not often possessed by those either of mature or tender years. As the late Adventist theologian Leslie Hardinge wrote years ago: “The great decisions of life do not announce themselves. This big moment steals upon us as stealthily as the midnight thief, and the moment of deciding is the unexpected moment” [7]. That moment stole upon Darnella Frazier, and she met it worthily.
Can the same be said of us?
How many such moments have stolen upon us, and found us unready? When, for example, have we found ourselves in an academy, college, or university religion class—even, perhaps, a Sabbath School class in our home church—and heard distinctive Adventist teachings, standards, or the Spirit of Prophecy writings ridiculed? In such a moment, have we asked God for strength to speak in defense of our faith, and proceeded to do so? Or have we kept silent for fear of being labeled, or coming across as weird or out of step with one presuming to be an “expert”?
How many of us, sitting on a church or institutional board, have confronted issues of doctrinal or moral faithfulness, and in the decisive moment claimed the grace of our Lord to stand up and hold the body of Christ accountable? Or have we, like the cowardly guests at Herod’s birthday party who wouldn’t speak up for John the Baptist, found our lips sealed for any number of inexcusable reasons?
The courage of Darnella Frazier reminds us that we are, in fact, our brother’s keeper, that the infliction of injustice on those around us is very much our business, and that accountability for any sort of wrong—whether in word or deed—is the responsibility of every follower of Christ, in particular those striving to be among that final company of victorious saints of whom the Bible declares, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12).
REFERENCES
1. Ross Johnson, “Why Darnella Frazier is the Most Influential Filmmaker of the Century (Guest Blog),” The Wrap, June 4, 2020 https://www.thewrap.com/darnella-frazier-filmmaker-george-floyd-killing-video/
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Robert Dallek, Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life (New York: Random House, 2017), p. 73.
5. Rachel Janfaza, “Across the country, young activists take different approaches in the name of justice for George Floyd,” CNN, June 3, 2020 https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics/young-activists-george-floyd/index.html;
6. Simon Schama, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989), p. 8.
7. Leslie Hardinge, These Watched Him Die (Washington, D.C: Review and Herald Publishing Assn, 1966), p. 29.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan