Arrest The Killers of Breonna Taylor.
Multimedia Critique of Tobe Nwigwe’s I Need You To Statement Piece
by Noelle Romain
After hearing the melodic request, I, like many viewers, were surprised when the task which followed was to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor. Nonetheless, intrigued by the opening statement, it was an out of the ordinary approach to the commonly heard demand for justice for the murder of Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old African American women who was fatally shot in her home in May, 2020. The multimedia clip plays upon a combination of both visual and audible stimuli to encapsulate the urgency of arresting the police who killed Breonna Taylor. Nwigwe also name drops, Elijah McClain, a young African American male who was killed by police officers in August, 2019. This stands as a good use of multimedia because it combines and manipulates different medium in order to revolutionize the outcry for reform. The message is recited clearly and accompanied by bold, capitalized subtitles that emphasize the words being spoken. The audio of his voice is manipulated to be initially light and rhythmic in order to draw peoples interest then switches to a voice stern and deep. The clip is short and concise, lasting only about 60 seconds yet leaving the viewer with the lingering tune “arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor”, playing in their mind. Visually it is also alluring, as those featured in the clip are shown motioning the words through different dance moves and body gestures. It was an effective multimedia instrument in re-lighting the spark behind the fight for justice for Breonna Taylor, Elijah Mcclain and the countless unnamed-a spark which has recently dwindled as the Black Lives Matter trend has come and gone.
One aspect of the clip that could be seen as a drawback, is the very colloquial language used by Nwigwe. Although the main point, “Arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor," is clearly communicated, he continues on to say “you goofy” in reference to people wanting more evidence for a conviction and “y'all hoed that boy," when referencing the treatment of Elijah McClain. This language is commonly used in the African American culture, standing as common-place slang, usually only understood by black individuals themselves having been habituated into this native tongue. Meaning one thing to native speakers, this lingo may be misinterpreted by unknowing viewers. Those unfamiliar to the meaning behind these phrases, can easily dismiss the overall message due to the use of such loose language and find it almost off-putting. Although it resonates deeply and quite personally with African American viewers, the fight for equality has for so long been fought by only black people. African American’s have waged the war by themselves and now need the allyship and understanding of others to make significant strides in the movement. Those unfamiliar to the meaning behind these played upon phrases, may be the audience that needs to hear the message the most.
