The Aronson Awards were held in the Roosevelt House on April 28th. The event was really inspirational because of the amazing advocacy journalists that were there to receive awards and give speeches. It was eye-opening to listen to stories about fighting for social justice. One of the journalists, Alexander Mallis, made a film called "After Trayvon." The film explores racism in Brooklyn, following Trayvon Martin's death which was nationally reported on, just a day after George Zimmerman's trial. Young black man are interviewed in the film and speak about being stopped in their own neighborhood just because they live in a white neighborhood. The creator of the film admitted his own racism when he first moved to Brooklyn, after feeling uncomfortable when walking down the street past black men on their stoop, admitting he wouldn't have felt the same way had they been white. I thought that was a really gritty and jarring thing to explore and report on.
David Carr was also in attendance to receive the Career Achievement Award, and gave an inspiring speech about how he went from homeless to working for the NY Times through hard work and perseverance. Andrea Elliot received an award for an amazing piece she wrote for the New York Times called "Invisible Child" that spoke about the life of a homeless 11-year old girl in NY. Her award particularly stood out to me because I remember reading her piece when it was first published and being so moved to learn about this inspiring child Dasani.
The night was really inspiring because it focused on people who all had one common goal: to give a voice to people who may otherwise not be heard. As a media student with an interest in writing and journalism, I found it amazingly encouraging and motivating to see a room full of journalists who are always trying to make a change and uphold justice.
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