Fists Up, Fight Back is a multimedia project exploring the response to George Floyd’s murder in Washington, D.C. and the local fight for Black liberation. It uses the grassroots Black liberation organization D.C. Protests to analyze this movement, looking at the emotion, growth, politics and other complicating factors in grassroots organizing.
This project aims to shine light on a movement and a generation's demand for dramatic, systemic change in American policing, while providing insight to how hard it is to bring about this change. It intends to make viewers reflect on how they can do their part to bring about change or understand why this change is necessary.
The photos, video, and written reporting all play distinct rolls.
The photos - Take it to the streets - take the viewer to the streets of D.C. for the months of protesting against police brutality, systemic racism and resisting neo-fascism.
The video - Shut it down - explores the birth and growth of D.C. Protests, a grassroots Black liberation organization.
The reporting - What does liberation look like? - lays the groundwork for both the photos and the video. It explores historical precedent, statistics and other key issues that could not easily be presented visually.