Orange County resident Ferin Kidd spent three days documenting the protests in Minnesota last year following the murder of George Floyd before returning to organize at home. He hopes his guerilla-style documentary, “Bang4Change,” helps preserve a significant event in Black history for future generations to reflect on.
Kidd spent 10 years in prison for armed robbery, an experience he describes as the best and worst thing that happened to him. Many of the older men he met in prison had time to reflect on their circumstances and heal, and they acted as counselors and mentors to him.
“They became the father that I didn't have growing up, they became the big brothers that I didn't have growing up, and they became the positive big homies I wish I would have had growing up.”
A mural at George Floyd Square at the intersection of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Photo credit: Ferin Kidd.
The unique thing about growing up Black in Orange County, says Kidd, is that you either grow up in a predominantly Latino neighborhood or a predominantly white neighborhood.
“Not having a Black community to directly attach yourself to becomes a very lonely experience,” he says. He’s trying to change that through The Black OC, an organization that he hopes will become a hub for positive Black culture among OC youth.