May 25th commemorates a terrible and sad anniversary for the United States and that is the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a practice of remembrance, we are releasing two round table conversations our student producers recorded in the wake of the tragedy the year it happened, 2020.
It is important to remember the context — this was during the COVID pandemic lockdown. A divisive president was in the White House, that the majority of our students (but not all) felt anguish over. The Black Lives Matter Movement had gained visibility, and was convtroversial in certain circles. Riots were breaking out across the country, including in Chicago, and doing major damage to property and there were also peaceful demonstrations of anger, outrage, and support for the citizens, families, and communities most impacted by racial violence. We were all on edge.
You will hear opinions and statements you agree with AND ones you will disagree with.
These conversations captured the raw emotions, ideas, and thoughts of our students in the midst of this chaotic time. We were meeting for our program for the first time online instead of in a classroom together and our producers' sibliings and families were living life in the background while we were recording (yes you will hear some of them).
We hope that you will listen with compassion and without judgment. And we hope that rather than breaking open old wounds, listening will help you to acknowledge, process, and continue to do the work of healing the discomfort and pain that likely you still feel over this period of time.
And also to remember that these issues have not yet been solved. There is still work to do.
We definitely encourage you to seek out and support commemorative events and grassroots organizations in your local community and take care of yourself during this time.
Thank you for listening.
This episode was produced by students in our 2020 Podcasting Season.
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Power Your Story is produced by students in the Podcast Tech & Production programs of After School Matters in Chicago. We represent diverse voices, telling our real life stories through the power of podcasting technology.
Each season features a new group of student producers under the mentorship of producer, Andrea Klunder of The Creative Impostor Studios, creating personal journals, interviews, and discussions about the topics that matter most to us.
Our theme music is by DJ Sparkz.
