In the past year of 2015, the St. Louis Post Dispatch photography staff was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, along with $10,000, for their riveting captured moments of anger and despair in Ferguson, Missouri. Although a tough time for many, these photographs can provide us, as a country, with a snapshot in time and, hopefully, the turn of better events to come.

The United States faces many epidemics which grow and cause controversy among members of our country and other countries continuously. The St. Louis Post Dispatch photography staff was honored because these pictures captured the heart of an event that was the center of much attention at the time it happened.

For a long time, people have been focusing on police brutality and all of the controversy surrounding the issue. It has been an ongoing problem for a long time and when Ferguson happened, it had a way of creating solidarity among people who lived in Missouri, but also among people who lived hundreds of miles away. It gave these people a sense of community and a voice they so desperately wanted others to hear. These people all had the same thoughts and this tragedy allowed them to speak out about their beliefs regarding the issue of police brutality, specifically to African Americans.

Since it was such a top story, and these photos won the Pulitzer Prize in the category of photography, it was a subject that caught my interest. Photography has been an interest of mine for a long time and these photos truly amaze me. They capture the moments people wouldn't often think about in a situation such as this, but are the most important to tell the story. I stand by the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and when people view these pictures, I think they would agree.

In my opinion, these photos are an important part of our history and where we stand, as a country. These pictures can stand for a movement to non-violence as well as a community standing together in tough times. These pictures are deserving of American journalism’s top honor because of how these pictures can and will impact the lives of so many people. Without these photos as memories of hardship, people who didn't struggle through this time wouldn’t be able to be remembered in this amount of detail. These pictures can be here forever, even when the issues we see with color and race subside.

These photos are exactly what journalists stand for. They are a truthful representation of what so many people are feeling and the pictures portray a sense of loyalty to the people. The photos share hardships and times which may make people feel uncomfortable, but are what needs to be shared in order for the public to be aware and govern themselves.