Documenting a Movement

July 1, 2020

George Floyd's brother breaks down at the site where George died as a result of police brutality.

As demonstrations calling for police reform and racial equality occurred throughout the U.S. in spring/summer 2020, RIT Photojournalism alumni documented the events.

Alumni photographed protests in Charleston, S.C., Minneapolis, Minn., New York City, Rochester, Minn. and Washington, D.C., among many other cities. They did so on assignment for news organizations such as the Associated Press, the Rochester Post-Bulletin, the Post and Courier, The New York Times, Reuters, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and TV and radio stations. The events were in response to the killing of George Floyd, who died while under arrest on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn. Four police officers were charged in connection with his death.

Below are scenes from the Black Lives Matter demonstrations and gatherings, through the lenses of some of the alumni from RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.

Above photo: George Floyd’s brother, Terrence, surrounded by media from around the world, breaks down at the site where his brother was killed by police. Ben Garvin/KARE 11

Brett Carlsen '12 (Louisville, Ky.)

A boy wearing a graduating cap raises his left arm in the air, surrounded by a crowd of fellow protestors. — *Protesters march through downtown Louisville, Ky. on June 5, some wearing graduation caps. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images*

Two police officers stand behind a green-colored gas. — *Police in riot gear during a May protest in Louisville, Ky. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images.*

A man, surrounded by a white fog, motions to a crowd of fellow protestors. — *A man gestures to a crowd of fellow protesters in Louisville, Ky. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images.*

Ben Garvin '99 (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Two hands -- one white, one black -- join together. — *Two hands join during a May 27 protest in Minneapolis, Minn. Ben Garvin/KARE 11*

A close-up photo of a woman shedding tears. — *A woman sheds tears while near the site where George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis, Minn. Ben Garvin/KARE 11*

Brittainy Newman '18 (New York City)

A girl and a boy pose, on a knee with their right arms raised. — *Danielle and David Dacosta, first-time protesters who immigrated from the Caribbean, post for a portrait in Brooklyn’s McKinley Park. Brittainy Newman/The New York Times*

Belinda Stahl sits in a chair at her home in Brooklyn. — *Belinda Stahl, from Peru, joined protests in New York City. Here, she sits in her home in Brooklyn. Brittainy Newman/The New York Times*

a boy holds a sign that reads Black Lives Matter in red. — *James Luckey is a regular protest participant in Brooklyn. Brittainy Newman/The New York Times*

Traci Westcott '18 (Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn.)

A gold-plated casket holding George Floyd is carried to a hearse at his funeral service. — George Floyd’s casket is carried out to a hearse after a family memorial service on June 4 outside North Central University's Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary in Minneapolis. Traci Westcott/Rochester Post Bulletin.

A girl plays the saxophone while sitting next to a man. — Innocynce Johnson, 10, plays saxophone alongside Ivan Cunningham on Chicago Avenue on June 4 in Minneapolis, Minn. Innocynce rollerbladed from her home with her instrument and stopped to play music with the group she had never met before. Traci Westcott/Rochester Post Bulletin

A crowd of protesters hold up signs as a police officer looks on. — *Protesters chant for justice in front of a police presence in downtown Rochester, Minn. Traci Westcott/Rochester Post Bulletin.*

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