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Reporting on Policing in Black and White, Letter Two
A six-part letter exchange between Nightly News, host & managing editor DaVante Goins, and Edie Driskill with Driskell Digest
For the first letter written by Edie, click below.
Dear Edie–
As I was reading your letter the lyrics, “Do you remember the time? Those sweet memories. Will always be dear to me,” from Michael Jackson's infamous song “Do You Remember The Time.”
For as long as I can remember since I was 5 or 6 years old I knew I was going to be a journalist in some capacity or another. Maybe back then my idea of being a journalist was working for 10TV News or NBC4. Well, my dream came true because now I own and operate not just Columbus’ only black streaming news and talk network, but Ohio’s too.
Back in 2012, when Travyon Martin was killed I was a senior in high school. Later, that summer when his killer went to trial my great-grandmother who was 94. Had just had a mini-stroke and she was in the hospital undergoing surgery. Some of my family, including myself, were gathered in the waiting room at Riverside Hospital and CNN was on TV.
The CNN anchor came on TV with a panel to discuss what happened. If memory serves me correctly, then they shortly went to commercial. Well, during the commercial break and for what felt like at least 20-minutes we heavily discuss the case and what happened. It led to a huge and loud argument because at the time my ignorance and shelteredness was leading me to take the stance of maybe Trayvon was in the wrong and Zimmerman was right.
Shocking right! Me of all people taking a stance like that. It happened! Only because at that time in my life the only killing I had heard of with some similarities to Trayvon’s was Emmit Till’s. Let’s be real, I just couldn’t accept the fact that in 2012 after having the nation’s first Black elected-President we could still be going through the racial injustices and hainest crimes.
If we fast forward a few months, from that point in time I could name too many names from: Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, LaQuan McDonald, Aura Rosser, and Philando Castile that would lose their lives just because of the color of their skin.
After the hospital incident and seeing this happen over and over I would become mad as hell and outrage not knowing where to channel my anger towards. I was pissed with how the media was covering these crimes against Black Humanity to how justice wasn’t getting served.
So, I wrestled with myself that's when I began to write for my college newspaper and others trying to do my part to change the narrative making sure everyone who had lost their lives at the hands of vigilantes and the police didn’t get murdered in vain.
That’s one of the reasons why I named the news outlet UnBossed! Columbus because I didn’t want to have to ask anyone permission to cover what they perceived to be black stories.
Freedom Fighter,
DaVante’