Shooting of Michael Brown In Ferguson, Missouri
I decided to design a yoga sequence, paired with Lauryn Hills’ song, “I Find It Hard To Say.” The sequence reflects the tragedy that occurred to Michael Brown and the experience many marginalized people face in our society. I start the sequence with the sun salutation, which represents Michael Brown, living his everyday life. The next sun salutation I add a lunge with my hands clasped behind my back, which represents the limitations and hardships he probably experienced while living in a town that’s heavily segregated like Ferguson, Mo. The next pose I put myself in is warrior 2, which represents the incident of August 9th, when Darren Wilson unfaithfully shot Mike, twelve times. In this sequence I go from warrior 2, standing strong, to a surrendering pose where I place my hands up to represent the posture Brown found himself in before being shot. This incident is marked by the #handsupdontshoot all over social media and protests.
I end the sequence by completely surrendering into child’s pose, which represents his body, laid left to bleed, but I rise back up and come into a flying pose to represent that the fight for justice is going to conquer the evil that is trauma, racism, corrupt police and governmental agencies. My movements are paired with a song that was written about the shooting of Amadou Diallo, an 23 year old immigrant who was also shot by a New York City police officer in 1999. One line that is especially pertinent is, “You think our lives are cheap, and easy to be wasted.” I think this song was very relevant to this project because it sets the tone for how this whole trauma is felt; very disappointing, depressing, and frustrating.
