Black celebrities stand up for justice

By Janiah X Adams -Contributing Writer- | Last updated: Jul 14, 2016 - 5:21:40 PM

Rappers The Game, left, and Snoop Dogg, center, appear at a peaceful unification march outside of the graduation ceremony for the latest class of police recruits in Los Angeles, July 8. Photo: AP/Wide World Photo

In the wake of several startling events, including the killings of two Black men, and the shooting of 11 police officers in Dallas, Texas, protests have sparked around the country and abroad. While civil rights leaders have spoken out against acts of injustice, a major response has also come from Black entertainers and athletes.

A few weeks after performing her song “Freedom” at the BET Awards, which touches on the injustices the Black community is facing, Beyoncé released a statement calling for everyone to take a stand. “We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities,” she wrote. “It is up to us to take a stand and demand that they ‘stop killing us.’ We don’t need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives. We’re going to stand up as a community and fight against anyone who believes that murder or violent action by those who are sworn to protect us should consistently go unpunished.”

A Go Fund Me for the children of Alton Sterling, who was shot to death during an encounter with Baton Rouge, La. police, was set up by Issa Rae, a Black writer and actress, best known for her YouTube series “Awkward Black Girl.” She has raised upwards of half a million dollars.

Basketball star Carmello Anthony of the New York Knicks used his social media account to push people to pressure local politicians to demand change.

“There’s NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore,” he wrote. “Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge. We can’t worry about what endorsements we gonna lose or whose going to look at us crazy. I need your voices to be heard. We can demand change. We just have to be willing to. THE TIME IS NOW. I’M all in. Take Charge. Take Action. DEMAND CHANGE.”

LeBron James, star of the NBA world champion Cleveland Cavaliers, expressed his feelings via Twitter following the death of Philando Castile, shot to death by a police officer outside of Minneapolis. James shared an article from Time.com that shed light on Castile’s service as a role model. “This article says it all man! Sickens me and I shed multiple tears about it all,” James tweeted.

Following the Dallas shooting, Professor Griff of Public Enemy was accused of being tied to the alleged shooter, Micah Johnson, after a picture of the two of them was found on Mr. Johnson’s social media.

“I will not sit back and let these people assassinate my character and tie me to the Dallas shootings,” Professor Griff tweeted. “I DO NOT KNOW THE SHOOTER.”

Chuck D., Griff’s partner in Public Enemy, blasted the media through Twitter for making it seem as if Professor Griff was involved in the shooting.

“The media grouping this person in a pic w [Griff] was sadly unacceptable,” he tweeted. “Artists athletes & Lecturers take thousands of PHONE pics today.”

Rappers Snoop Dogg and The Game led a protest in Los Angeles in response to the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The Game and his son Harlem also started a GoFundMe campaign for an Arkansas police officer who displays his service to the Black community online.

Artists such as Zendaya, Rihanna, Kanye West and Nick Cannon spoke through their social media accounts. White artists such as Amy Schumer, Olivia Wilde and Katy Perry tweeted about the injustices.

Drake, the Toronto based rapper, released a statement on Instagram expressing his concern for the safety of loved ones that could “fall victim to this pattern.” It received over 300,000 likes.

“It’s impossible to ignore that the relationship between Black and Brown communities and law enforcement remains as strained as it was decades ago,” he wrote. “No one begins their life as a hashtag, yet the trend of being reduced to one continues.”

Jesse Williams, who received much criticism for his speech at the BET awards concerning racism in America, asked his followers to “provide a list of infractions punishable by spontaneous public execution.”

“Upon receipt of this list, we’ll return to our quarters and study up, eager to enjoy freedoms of white mass murders. #LIFEHACK. You chumps will NEVER provide this list … We see through you.”

The outcry for justice spread beyond the United States and reached London, Berlin and Amsterdam under the theme Black Lives Matter. The Bahamas issued a travel advisory warning Black male citizens that travel to the U.S. could be life threatening.

The Final Call