The teen was honored with the Shine a Light Award on Sunday.
Lauren London took the stage at the 2021 BET Awards on Sunday to honor Darnella Frazier, the young woman who filmed the murder of George Floyd in 2020, with the special Shine a Light Award.
"Tonight, we'd like to shine a light on the brave and transformative heroics of Darnella Frazier. This young woman who captured a moment in history that reflects our brutal past helping to forge a way forward with her cell phone in hand, she recorded 9 minutes and 29 seconds of social injustice, highlighting the murder of George Floyd," London opened her speech, giving Frazier her due.
"Sometimes in life, it just takes one person to prove that we play a large part in getting the accountability we deserve. She didn't set out to change the world, she set out to do what was right. Most recently, her courageous actions were rewarded with an honorary Pulitzer prize," she said, referring to her recent prestigious honor. "Most recently her courageous actions were honored with a Pulitzer Prize."
"Unfortunately, Darnella couldn't attend tonight but we felt it important to acknowledge her contributions to social justice," she closed. "Thank you, Darnella."
The BET Awards' recognition of Frazier's act of heroism comes just weeks after she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in the special citations and awards category "for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists' quest for truth and justice."
Frazier was 17 years old when she recorded Floyd's fatal arrest last May by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
On Friday, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for Floyd's death after he was found guilty on charges of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
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