On this exact day one year ago, 46-year old George Perry Floyd Jr., was murdered in Minneapolis, Minnesota – another tragic victim of police brutality, the video footage showing police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds. It’s impossible to forget Floyd’s words: “I can’t breathe.”

It is a sad day in American history, a day of mourning. It’s also a moment to acknowledge the powerful conversation and activism the tragedy has triggered. Floyd’s killing – like so many acts before and after him – led people from coast to coast and around the world in over 60 countries including all seven continents to go out to the streets in protest for racial justice and systemic change. In the words of Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, “daddy changed the world.”

On this important day, CFDA pays tribute to this brother, son, father, friend, George Floyd. To mark this day, we spoke to activist, director, cinematographer, and editor E. Mackey, who picked up his camera to document the Black Lives Matter movement, the protests and funerals in the last year.

Describe the moment you realized you had to pick up your camera and document the moment?

I decided to pick up my camera after seeing the video of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder. I just remember feeling angry, confused, and helpless. We had all been trapped in the house because of the lockdown and I couldn’t understand how, or why, Black people were still being killed. I took some time to think about what I could do and I realized that there was power in my ability to document. So, I basically armed myself with my camera and took to the streets.

What were the key things you learned while capturing the protests, funerals, Black Lives Matter movement, and surely interacting with many different people?

I originally went out thinking that, as a Black man, I was going to show things from my perspective and teach people that weren’t from my community more about our struggles. When I actually got out there, I realized how ignorant I was of the difficulties and struggles of groups that I didn’t belong to, and it made me more aware of where I needed improvement and motivated me to be an advocate for everyone. I think what resonated most with me was the struggles of Black women and individuals in the LGBTQ community. Seeing them out there, in city after city – fighting for people like me – really touched me. I remember thinking how I had never stood up to defend Black women or people in the LGBTQ community the way that they were standing up for me, and I felt ashamed. I knew that I needed to show up in a much better way than I had moving forward.

As a Black man capturing traumatic events in the Black community, what keeps you strong?

To be honest, it’s the “Black man” part that keeps me strong. This really isn’t anything new to us. Black people have been living this story our entire lives. News coverage didn’t make things any different; it just showed the rest of the world what we had been trying to articulate for hundreds of years. I guess the more simple answer to the question is, honestly, I don’t have any other choice but to be strong.

Most would describe your work as activism. How do you define yourself and your work?

I would absolutely describe my work as activism. I consider myself to be an activist/photojournalist. I’m not likely to march with a sign or perform acts of civil disobedience; however, I understand the value of what I do and the importance of there being several different approaches to protest and activism. At the end of the day, we all have a role to play in this movement, mine just happens to be documenting it.

As a photographer, how would you describe the journey, evolution and impact of everything that happened over the past year?

I think that the journey here was a long, difficult, and tumultuous one. I feel that all the coverage and documentation has forced people to pay attention (and act) that would have otherwise been indifferent. I think that we will see very marginal changes in the present day because these issues are far too complex to be solved with policy changes. But, I am honestly very optimistic about what things will look like 10 to 20 years in the future. I think that we are all growing in our awareness of the social issues that affect people outside of our immediate circles and I think that it will translate into how we raise our children. I think that raising children that are more aware and compassionate and seeing how that translates in how they operate in society and, someday, govern will ultimately show the impact of what we’ve done.

One year later, how would you describe the impact of your photos?

I wrote a book called Lift Every Voice where many of my photos were used as an anchor in me telling the story of the Black experience in America. I think, at least I hope, that they have resonated with people and inspired them to learn, grow, and do more to contribute to moving society into a more equitable place.

What learnings do you hope people will take away from them in years to come?

I really hope that my documentation helps to educate future generations on what happened here. I hope that my images are used to tell the truth and provide proper context when these stories are discussed in the future. More importantly, at least to me, I hope that my imagery inspires people to act. It is my prayer that people will look at what I was able to do with a camera and a limited budget and realize that they already have everything that they need to make a monumental impact on the world.