‘My Life Matters’: Ryan Coogler creates video series about police brutality

Jul 24, 2016

After the recent shootings of unarmed black people, the BlackLivesMatter protests, and the ongoing debate over police brutality, Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, David Oyelowo, Lala Anthony, Boris Kodjoe, Terrance J and other prominent black entertainers are coming together and speaking on these topics.

–Creed Director Ryan Coogler hosts star-studded #JusticeForFlint event

Blackout for Human Rights — an activist collective founded by Ryan Coogler — released a video series entitled “My Life Matters.” These videos focus on the topic of police violence.

Each video in the series centers on a celebrity remembering their life achievements. This serves as a way of paying homage to black Americans who perished at the hands of law enforcement. The series was created for the Movement for Black Lives’ “Freedom Now” National Day of Direct Action.

–‘Creed’s’ Ryan Coogler to direct Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’

The series starts off with creator Ryan Coogler as he talks about his love for football growing up and later finding his passion for film making. He closed out his video by remembering Tamir Rice, stating, “None of those things would have been possible if I was 12 years old and I was in a park playing with a toy gun and was shot and killed by the police, on the spot, before I had a chance to put my hands up like Tamir Rice in Cleveland Ohio. My life Matters. Tamir Rice’s life mattered.”

–theGrio’s 100: Ryan Coogler, 1st time director, strikes gold with ‘Fruitvale Station’

The series can be found on YouTube under Blackout for Human Rights. You can also watch the full 8-minute video via BuzzFeed Entertainment.