Hip-hop artist Big Freedia examines gun violence in her home
city of New Orleans in the sobering documentary Freedia Got a Gun.
Big Freedia, known as the Queen of Bounce, lost a younger
brother, Adam, to a senseless shooting and now uses her platform as a celebrity
to raise awareness about gun culture.
In director Chris McKim's documentary, Freedia visits with sixth
and seventh graders who talk about their parents getting killed in
shootings, and now these kids carry guns themselves for protection. A middle-school
student named Devin seems to be heading straight into this world of violence.
At 14 years old, he has already racked up grand theft auto charges and has also
made enemies in the neighborhood.
Lots of these young black males don't have positive role
models and are taught to keep their emotions wrapped up inside. The movie talks
about children in New Orleans who lived through Hurricane Katrina and developed
PTSD with no healthy outlet for it. Solutions to gun violence are discussed,
and it starts with communication. Saving one young black child leads to saving
another, then another.
There is so much more thought-provoking information packed
into this 85-minute documentary that has not even been touched on here. Freedia
Got a Gun deserves to be seen and is streaming free on Peacock, NBC's
streaming service. All you have to do is sign up.
