The journalism world has lost a promising young intrepid reporter.
Morgan State University student journalist Bre'Aira Johnson died in a car accident on Sunday, May 13. Baltimore County Police reports from the scene stated her vehicle crossed the center line into oncoming traffic and collided into a guardrail.
Johnson was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The prospective journalist was finalizing her final multimedia project for journalist Dr. Stacey Patton's class days prior to the fatal crash.
Devastated by the recent news, Patton took to Facebook to say a few words about the young woman and her work.
"She cried. I cried. We hugged. She gave her final presentation on Thursday," Patton wrote in a post on Wednesday. "She said one of the biggest challenges was that she couldn't find photos of her murdered uncle because family members didn't take many photos. I turned to the class and said, 'Black people, please take photos of your loved ones. They are visual record of their lives, memories, precious moments and a rich counter-narrative to the devaluation of black life in this country.'"
Patton shared Johnson's ungraded assignment along with the touching tribute entitled "Pain After Murder in 'Bodymore.'" The late student covered the tragic shootings of her uncle Tyrone M. Servance Jr. who was gunned down in front of the convenience store he co-owned with his wife, Michelle, and her cousin, Jaquan D. Holt, who was shot 20 times.
Often when the media covers homicides in predominantly black cities, the victims are quickly forgotten and regarded as nothing greater than a collection of numbers and figures. They are used as talking points for pundits while victims' families deal with the grief.
Johnson wanted to change that.
"Today was a rough day for her classmates and myself who all just found out about this tragedy," Patton wrote. "This video that she produced as her final semester project honors her uncle and cousin who were murdered in Baltimore City. And in the process, she honored herself by finding her voice. And now we honor her. "
The story was made with the care and diligence of a seasoned reporter and documentarian. Take a look at Johnson's final work:
