Summer 2020
On May 25th, 2020, George Floyd, a Black American man, was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin. His death, like Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin before him, sparked protests which lasted throughout the summer. Throughout this time, other deaths of Black Americans such as Breonna Taylor and Elijah Daniel emphasized what Black Americans have known all along: police brutality is an epidemic in the United States. It seemed that non-Black people’s eyes were opening to the racial injustices that Black people continue to face. Unfortunately, with widespread recognition of police brutality came the widespread understanding that racism was still alive in America.
Summer 2020 is my personal reflection on the Black Lives Matter movement during Summer 2020 when it gained international attention. This series addresses multiple aspects of the movement that I saw including the social media response, and perhaps most obviously, the many instances of police brutality that the world witnessed. I also recall the emotional response of myself, those around me, and the many grieving families across the Unites States. This series finds inspiration in Carrie Mae Weems’ explanation of her photo Ode to Affirmative Action. Weems says that “there is a performance stage that one could use to talk about issues of difference and diversity.” With dance as my performance, I allude to the many experiences of Summer 2020.
