The late George Floyd’s story is one of the most powerful in recent memory that continues to be the underlying symbol towards the continued fight against racism. Such is the power of what transpired that various pieces of content have been created and one of these is a special documentary that aired on Discovery ID recently. Latching onto that and helping to get a different and further perspective on the documentary, we got the opportunity to virtually chat to Lorna Thomas, Senior Executive Producer at Discovery ID:
Film and television broadcast are powerful mediums to use trying to convey an important message, within this special the late George Floyd’s sad but powerful story is documented. Can you tell us what your motivation was for making this documentary?
The network’s motivation for producing this was to bring attention to the larger issues of police violence and the history of race relations in our country. It’s really meant to be a discussion around police action within the BIPOC community and what we can do to improve moving forward.
Following the murder of George Floyd, a lot has occurred, what is your view on how things will change going forward taking into consideration Covid-19 and the huge impact it has had on communities globally?
The murder of George Floyd came in the midst of a global pandemic that was already revealing inequities in our society, both racial and economic. I do think this event has initiated some changes, and I can only hope that this will serve as a catalyst for further action.
All of this is happening in the lead up to the next US elections, do you think what has transpired will have any bearing on the way the public vote?
I think this has prompted people to recognize the importance of participating in our democratic process and how their vote can create change and impact within their community, both on a local and national level.
This special documents an incredibly powerful story, what are the key things you are trying to communicate with viewers of the show?
The special is a panel format, so we wanted to do was provide a forum for experts to discuss the very urgent and important issues confronting the relationship and history between law enforcement and BIPOC community. The discussion covers controversial topics, and we wanted to provide a space for experts to speak, knowing that only through these discussions can real changes be made.
Do you have any other thoughts you would like to share with viewers of the documentary?
It’s important for these discussions to continue, I want this to be an impetus to create more opportunities to elevate diverse voices. This is just a starting point, and I hope people will continue the discussion.
We’re starting to see more similar stories coming to the fore and there’s no doubt this is one of the most powerful of them all that will live long in the memory and hopefully act as a catalyst for change in society. Our thanks to the Discovery team as well as Lorna Thomas for indulging us. In case you missed it and are interested in watching the doc then see here.
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