5 feet away

A high school student who took a video, a brief history of technology, and a story of bravery. Also, 7 other things worth your time.

Darnella Frazier is 17 years old. She’s been called “the most influential filmmaker of the century.”

If you don’t recognize her name, Frazier is the young woman who first recorded and shared the video of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis two weeks ago. Her post has been viewed 1.7 million times — along with many millions more video views on other media.

Personally, I’ve only watched it once. That’s enough. More than enough.

I came across Frazier’s name because I’ve been trying to identify what’s different “this time.” There have been horrible incidents of racism seared into our memories before. We’ve all been aware of police brutality to some degree.

But the reaction to Floyd’s death, and all it symbolizes for so many people, has been transcendant and persistent.

We’ve had more than a week of demonstrations, in the biggest cities and even small towns. There’s been some violence and looting, no doubt, but I think it’s fair to say the overwhelming majority of demonstrators h…