Bear Witness, Take Action | |
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Produced by | Phillip Byron Maverick Carter Jamal Henderson LeBron James Jamila Jordan |
Starring | Keke Palmer Common |
Edited by | Welborn Ferrene |
Production companies | Fly on the Wall Entertainment SpringHill Entertainment |
Distributed by | YouTube Premium |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | USD100 million |
Bear Witness, Take Action is a pair of American livestreams, the first one streamed on YouTube on June 13, 2020, as part of a YouTube Original programming supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in correspondence with the George Floyd protests. It gathers notable people of color in the United States such as Patrisse Cullors, Rashad Robinson, Alicia Garza, Prince Ea, John Legend, etc., and hosted by Keke Palmer and Common. It centers around the history and experiences as people of color in America, as well as exploring ways to raise awareness and end the long inequality. On November 17, 2020, it was announced that a sequel titled Bear Witness, Take Action 2: Continuing The Movement will premiere on December 5, 2020. [1] It lasted for two hours. [2]
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American man, was murdered by officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, as Floyd begged for his life and repeatedly said "I can't breathe."
As a result, an ongoing series of protests and civil unrest began, starting in Minneapolis, as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. "I can't breathe" became a human rights slogan, heard chanted in nearly all protests created nationally and globally.
Representing YouTube, CEO Susan Wojcicki says that YouTube will be doing a US$100 million "project" to "amplify and develop the voices of [b]lack creators and artists and their stories," which will be a YouTube Original program "bring[ing] together creators, artists, influential public figures and prominent activist voices for roundtable discussions and musical performances." Viewers can also choose to donate to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) via an icon set to the livestream. In the livestream's teaser. A day later, ET Canada reported a US$1 million of donations to the nonprofit via the livestream, [3] which reflects donations received by Google announced on June 3. [4] YouTube's monetary response is also similar to that of PayPal, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Nike in response to the protests. [5] In addition to YouTube's BLM response, content policies will also be updated, preventing hate videos from spreading. [6] A previous programming, Dear Class of 2020, also briefly highlighted the protests. [7]
A 39-second teaser was posted two days before. The teaser also featured an icon to the EJI. The teaser featured several lonely-looking shots, backgrounded with protesters chanting. [4] The livestreamed is then streamed on July 13, 2020, at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. [8]
The livestream is divided into 21 sequences, or chapters.
The second chapter, titled 20 Days of Unrest, is a grayscale-altered mashup of footages related to racism in America. Attorney Bryan Stevenson talks about the history of slavery and racism in the United States. Soledad O'Brien interviews Kimberlé Crenshaw, Kimberly Foster, and Rashad Robinson around the theme "rethinking justice." The next chapter, Enough is Enough, is a mashup of notable YouTubers talking about police brutality and xenophobia. O'Brien then interviews YouTuber Amber Whittington, Alicia Garza, and Minnesota Fats. Next, Trey Songz performs song "How Many Times." [9]
A number of white YouTubers show support against racism. Next, Roland Martin interviews Chaz Smith, Michael Skolnik, and Eddie Glaude, Jr., under the theme "white privilege." Next is spoken word In Here, Out There, followed by Indya Moore doing the same thing centering on LGBTQ+ people of color. Roland interviews Bakari Sellers, Baratunde Thurston, and Roxane Gay. Several people then made a "message" to those died of racism, followed by a moment of silence.
O'Brien interviews Prince Ea, Jouelzy, and Patrisse Cullors, regarding "bear[ing] witness." Brittany Howard performs "13th Century Metal," [10] followed by a spoken word by several people, and an interview by Jemele Hill with Baratunde Thurston, Kimberly Jones, and Andrew Hawkins. Next is a motivational video titled Pledge, followed by a speech by Susan Wojcicki, and John Legend covering Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." [3] The end sequence features resources regarding the topic.
Common Sense Media's Melissa Camacho gave it four out of five stars. She labeled the "character strengths" as what the livestream stand out for. She said that it "offers a unified narrative about what the problems are and what needs to be done," and says that "Bear Witness, Take Action is designed to inspire people to go beyond simply reacting to racism on social media, and instead take proactive steps to ensure that people and institutions are held accountable for their racist behaviors. Only then can America start to heal and finally bring about change." [11]
"The whole world is watching" was a phrase chanted by anti-Vietnam War demonstrators as they were beaten and arrested by police outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Susan Diane Wojcicki was an American business executive who was the chief executive officer of YouTube from 2014 to 2023. Her net worth was estimated at $765 million in 2022.
Seán William McLoughlin, better known publicly as jacksepticeye, is an Irish YouTuber whose videos focus on gaming, comedy and vlogging.
Prajakta Koli, known for her YouTube Channel MostlySane, is an Indian YouTuber and actress who makes comedy videos. Her videos are focused mostly on observational comedy related to daily life situations. She is also known for her lead role in the Netflix romantic drama Mismatched.
Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, known online as Destiny, is an American live streamer and political commentator. He was among the first people to stream video games online full-time. Since 2016, he has streamed political debates with other online personalities, in which he advocates for liberal and social democratic politics.
James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, internet personality, and businessman. He is known for his fast-paced and high-production videos featuring elaborate challenges and lucrative giveaways. With over 330 million subscribers, he has the most subscribers of any YouTube channel, and is the third-most-followed creator on TikTok with over 104 million followers. He also has over 60 million followers on Instagram and 30.9 million on X.
Chris Broad, also known online as Abroad in Japan, is an English YouTuber, filmmaker, podcast host, author, and former Assistant Language Teacher. He focuses on creating videos about Japanese culture, Japanese food, and travel in Japan, primarily in the Tōhoku region.
Desmond Daniel Amofah, known online as Etika, was an American YouTuber and live streamer. Amofah became known online for his enthusiastic reactions to Super Smash Bros. character trailers and Nintendo Direct presentations and for playing and reacting to various games. He resided in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, and his father is the Ghanaian politician Owuraku Amofah.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face-down in a street. Two other police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Lane had also pointed a gun at Floyd's head before Floyd was handcuffed. A fourth police officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from intervening.
Derek Michael Chauvin is an American former police officer who murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On May 25, 2020, Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for about nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street, calling out "I can't breathe," during an arrest made with three other officers. Chauvin was dismissed by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) on May 26 and arrested on May 29. The murder set off a series of protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, across the United States and around the world.
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and demonstrations against police brutality that began in Minneapolis in the United States on May 26, 2020. The protests and civil unrest began in Minneapolis as reactions to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed African American man, by city police during an arrest. They spread nationally and internationally. Veteran officer Derek Chauvin was recorded as kneeling on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds; Floyd complained of not being able to breathe, but three other officers looked on and prevented passersby from intervening. Chauvin and the other three officers involved were later arrested. In April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In June 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22+1⁄2 years in prison.
Richmond, Virginia, experienced a series of riots in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Richmond was the first city in the Southeastern United States to see rioting following Floyd's murder. Richmond, formerly the capital of the short-lived Confederate States of America, saw much arson and vandalism to monuments connected with that polity, particularly along Monument Avenue.
8 minutes 46 seconds (8:46) is a symbol of police brutality that originated from the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Derek Chauvin, a police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck, asphyxiating him. The duration that Chauvin spent kneeling was reported for weeks as 8 minutes 46 seconds, and later as 7 minutes 46 seconds, until body camera footage released in August 2020 showed that the actual time was 9 minutes 29 seconds. In the days following his murder, and the protests that followed, the duration became a focus of commemorations and debates, especially around Blackout Tuesday.
Local protests over the murder of George Floyd, sometimes called the Minneapolis riots or the Minneapolis uprising, began on May 26, 2020, and within a few days had inspired a global protest movement against police brutality and racial inequality. The initial events were a reaction to a video filmed the day before and circulated widely in the media of police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for several minutes while Floyd struggled to breathe, begged for help, lost consciousness, and died. Public outrage over the content of the video gave way to widespread civil disorder in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and other cities in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area over the five-day period of May 26 to 30 after Floyd's murder.
A wave of civil unrest in the United States, initially triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, led to protests and riots against systemic racism in the United States, including police brutality and other forms of violence. Since the initial national wave and peak ended towards the end of 2020, numerous other incidents of police violence have drawn continued attention and lower intensity unrest in various parts of the country.
Clay, known online as Dream, is an American YouTuber, Twitch streamer, speedrunner, and singer primarily known for creating Minecraft content.
State of Minnesota v. Derek Michael Chauvin was an American criminal case in the District Court of Minnesota in 2021. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was tried and convicted for the murder of George Floyd, which occurred during an arrest on May 25, 2020, and led to global protests over racial injustice and police brutality. A 12-member jury found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. It was the first conviction of a white police officer in Minnesota for the murder of a black person.
In 2020 and 2021, several protests were held in the U.S. city of Minneapolis that coincided with judicial proceedings and the criminal trial of Derek Chauvin. As an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, Chauvin was charged with the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who died during an arrest incident on May 25, 2020. A bystander's video captured Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes while Floyd struggled to breathe, lost consciousness, and died. Protesters opposed Chauvin's pre-trial release from jail on bail in October 2020. In the lead up to and during the criminal trial in early 2021, demonstrators sought conviction and maximum sentencing for Chauvin, and the enactment of police reform measures.
George Floyd Square, officially George Perry Floyd Square in Minneapolis, is the intersection of Chicago Avenue and East 38th Street. It is named after George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered there by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. The commemorative street name is signed along Chicago Avenue between East 37th Street to East 39th Street.
Alexander, known online as Technoblade, was an American YouTuber known for his Minecraft videos, livestreams, and involvement in the Dream SMP. Technoblade registered his main channel on YouTube in 2013. His videos consisted primarily of Minecraft gameplay, particularly on the minigame server Hypixel. After rising to popularity in 2019 for his performances in player versus player (PvP) events, Technoblade was invited to the Dream SMP Minecraft server in 2020, further increasing his following.