Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian West and Cardi B are just some of the many public figures taking to social media to demand justice for George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man died in custody after being taken in by the Minneapolis police for reportedly using a counterfeit check at a supermarket. Outside the store, Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by police office Derek Chauvin. The officer’s knee was pressed on his neck, while other officers, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng, stood by. Onlookers begged for Chauving to stop.
Video footage from the incident later surfaced online, showing Floyd begging for his life. “I can’t breathe,” he tells the officer. “Please, I can’t breathe.” The father-of-one went motionless and was taken to hospital, where he later died from the injuries inflicted by Chauvin.
The incident has sparked protests around the world, with many carrying signs, t-shirts and masks that read: “I can’t breathe.”
Below, how celebrities are using their platform to demand justice.
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift took to Twitter to call out President Donald Trump. She wrote, “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump.”
The Tweet is now the singer’s most-liked.
Lady Gaga
The Chromatica singer did not hold back when responding to the current situations unfolding in the US. “I am as outraged by the death of George Floyd as I have been by the deaths of exponentially too many black lives over hundreds of years that have been taken from us in the country as a result of systemic racism and the corrupt system that support it,” part of her post read. “The voices of the black community have been silenced for too long and that silence has proven deadly time and time again. And no matter what they do to protest, they are still met with no compassion by the leaders that are meant to protect them. Every day people in America are racist, that’s a fact.”
Phoebe Tonkin
The Australian actress, who resides in Los Angeles but spent many years living in Atlanta while filming the series The Originals, also spoke out on the death of George Floyd. “Enough is enough, come on America do better. And please, please, please for the love of god vote that completely despicable man out of the White House in November.”
Chrissy Teigen
Chrissy Teigen pledged (US) $200,000 to help bail out the protestors being arrested around America following the death of George Floyd. “In celebration of whatever the fuck maga night is, I am committed to donating $100,000 to the bailouts of protestors across the country,” she tweeted on Saturday afternoon (May 30).
After a troll responded to the tweet by calling the protesters “rioters and criminals,” Chrissy replied, “Ooo they might need more money then. Make it $200,000.”
Kim Kardashian
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star spoke out saying she was done staying “silent”. The 39-year-old reality star said that she has been trying to “find the right words to express my condolences and outrage” after each horrific murder of an innocent black man, woman, or child, but has always felt that it’s a fight she shouldn’t take on as her own. Until now.
“Not today, not anymore. Like so many of you, I am angry. I am more than angry. I am infuriated and I am disgusted,” she tweeted. “I am exhausted by the heartbreak I feel seeing mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children suffering because their loved one was murdered or locked away unjustly for being black.”
“Even though I will never know the pain and suffering they have endured, or what it feels like to try to survive in a world plagued by systemic racism, I know I can use my own voice to help amplify those voices that have been muffled for too long.”
Billie Eilish
The 18-year-old Grammy winner posted a lengthy essay to her Instagram page.
“I’ve been trying to take this week to figure out a way to address this delicately. I have an enormous [sic] platform and I try really hard to be respectful and take time to think through what I say and how I say it… But holy f–king shit I’m gonna just start talking,”began the essay. “If I hear one more person say ‘aLL liVeS maTtEr’ one more f–king time I’m gonna lose my f–king mind. Will you shut the f–k uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup???? No one is saying your life doesn’t matter. No one is saying your life is not hard.”
“The slogan #BlackLivesMatter does not mean other lives don’t. It’s calling attention to the fact that society clearly thinks black lives don’t fucking matter!!!!! And they fucking do!!!!!” she said.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey looked to her signature works to demand justice for George Floyd, performing her song ‘There’s Got To Be A Way’ which featured on her very first album which debuted nearly thirty years ago.
“I wrote this song for my first album. Still looking for answers today. We have to make a change. We can’t be silent. #BlackLivesMatter Text ‘FLOYD’ to 55156 to demand #JusticeForFloyd,” the singer captioned the video. In the song, she sings, “I don’t understand how there can be regulated bigotry. There’s got to be a way to connect this world today.”
Rihanna
Rihanna took to her Instagram to call out the injustice served about George Floyd’s murder.
“For the last few days, the magnitude of devastation, anger, sadness I’ve felt has been overwhelming to say the least!” she wrote alongside a photo of Floyd. “Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart!”
She continued, “To the point of staying away from socials, just to avoid hearing the blood curdling agony in George Floyd’s voice again, begging over and over for his life!!! The look of enticement, the pure joy and climax on the face of this bigot, murderer, thug, pig, bum, Derek Chauvin, haunts me!!”
“I can’t shake this! I can’t get over an ambulance pulling up to an arrest, a paramedic checking a pulse without removing the very thing that’s hindering it! Is this that fucking normal??? If intentional MURDER is the fit consequence for ‘drugs’ or ‘resisting arrest’….then what’s the fit consequence for MURDER???! #GeorgeFloyd #AhmaudArbery #BreonnaTaylor.”
Beyonce
Beyonce took to Instagram to share a personal message following Floyd’s murder and the protests currently happening around America. “If you want to demand more charges brought on all those involved in the death of George Floyd, click the link in my bio to sign the petition,” she wrote with a link of her own petition to help.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah spoke out amid protests around the country in reaction to police brutality and systematic racism, writing: “I’ve been trying to process what can be said or heard in this moment. I haven’t been able to get the image of the knee on his neck out of my head. It’s there every morning when I rise and when I go through the ordinary duties of the day. While pouring coffee, lacing my shoes, and taking a breath, I think: He doesn’t get to do this.”
She continued, “And now the video from the other angle of two other officers pinning him down. My heart sinks even deeper. His family and friends say he was a gentle giant. His death has now shown us he had a giant soul. If the largeness of a soul is determined by its sphere of influence,George Floyd is a Mighty soul. #GeorgeFloyd: We speak your name. But this time we will not let your name be just a hashtag. Your spirit is lifted by the cries of all us who call for justice in your name!”
Tracee Ellis Ross
Alongside an image of Floyd and his last words, Ellis Ross simply wrote: “You should be alive.”
Naomi Campbell
“#JusticeForFloyd,” the 50-year-old supermodel captioned a powerful quote.
Olivia Wilde
The actress posted a heartbreaking image of protestors being targeted by police in the protests, writing: “This is America. 💔”
Cardi B
No stranger to speaking out on injustices of people of colour, Cardi B wrote: “Enough is enough! What will it take ? A civil war ? A new president? Violent riots ? It’s tired ! I’m tired ! The country is tired !You don’t put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward YOU ARE ! And how America is really not the land of the free !”
Katie Holmes
The actress shared a pointed quote from American novelist and activist James Baldwin, “It is certain, in any case, that ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have”, adding “I send love to his family and friends. This is heartbreaking.”
Demi Lovato
“This is not okay. And it will not stop until everyone does their part. Especially white people,” Lovato wrote. “I said it recently and I’ll say it again, do not let your discomfort surrounding social issues prevent you from speaking up for those IN DANGER. And reality is, until this STOPS COMPLETELY – THE BLACK COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN DANGER. DO YOUR PART. THIS INVOLVES YOU TOO. #GeorgeFloyd, I hope you RIP because it isn’t fair so many didn’t do their part to ensure you lived in peace.”
Kylie Jenner
The beauty mogul took to Instagram to share she was “scared” for her daughter (who she shares with rapper Travis Scott) and her future following the distressing video of George Floyd’s death.
“since watching the most devastating and completely heartbreaking video showing the murder of George Floyd earlier this week I haven’t been able to get his face and his words out of my mind,” she wrote. “i’ll never personally experience the pain and fear that many black people around the country go through every day but i know nobody should have to live in fear and nobody deserves a death like George Floyd and too many others. speaking up is long overdue for the rest of us. we’re currently dealing with two horrific pandemics in our country, and we can’t sit back and ignore the fact that racism is one of them. i fear for my daughter and i hope for a better future for her. my heart breaks for George Floyd’s family and friends. Don’t let his name be forgotten. keep sharing, keep watching, keep speaking out, because it’s the only way we can come together to help bring this much needed change and awareness. Rest In Peace, George Floyd. 🕊”
Ariana Grande
The Sweetener singer shared a link to a petition. “please keep signing these petitions, making donations, having conversations w family and friends about it, reading and sharing links and resources… gentle reminder that this doesn’t end today or tomorrow or after you post about it once.”
Reese Witherspoon
The Big Little Lies actress took to Instagram to share her 7-year-old son had asked about George Floyd’s death. “Last night at dinner, my 7-year-old asked why all the grown ups were so upset. We spoke to him about what happened to George Floyd. Being a white mother trying to explain racism and bigotry to her white son, who did not understand why anyone would treat another human being that way, was heartbreaking. But not nearly as heartbreaking as being a victim of one of these senseless, violent, unconscionable crimes. Not nearly as heartbreaking as being one of the families who have experienced loss and harassment and discrimination daily. Not nearly as heartbreaking as being a mother who lives in fear of what will happen to her children in this world.”
She continued, “I grew up going to church. We were taught that we were all the same in the eyes of God. We all breathe the same air. We all bleed the same blood. But that is not what I grew up seeing. It was as hard for me to reconcile the difference between what I was taught in church and what I see in the world. I don’t want that for my kids. Or for yours. We have to be held accountable for what is happening in this country. What happened to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery – and countless others – can not go without justice. Please talk to your children about racism, privilege, bigotry and hate. If you aren’t talking to them, someone else is. Regarding comments: I urge you to share this space for meaningful discussion, not hate. There is enough hate in the world. I hope this can be a space for discussion, understanding, growth and LOVE. We all need more of that.”
Gigi Hadid
“Enraged. Sickened. Heartbroken. But never surprised,” the model wrote to her Instagram page. “This happens way too often – and the videos that go viral are not isolated events. It seems that only when caught on camera are bigots & MURDERERS even getting “investigated” or fired .. unfortunately, the only way things will start changing is if all these racist, ignorant, monsters (badge &/or not) have to face the consequences- behind bars. && it’s not only an issue with black men being killed by cops … it’s an issue every time we see them being treated, in even non-violent situations, VERY CLEARLY differently than many very-high-risk incidents involving white men; it’s an issue that the President is making dangerous public statements about enforcing the shooting of protesters -rightfully angered by another UNNEEDED KILLING of another black person & DEMANDING JUSTICE WHERE IT IS 100% NEEDED- while exactly 28 days earlier, he tweeted about white protesters, who stood ARMED WITH GUNS protesting a WORLDWIDE HEALTH PANDEMIC as “very good people” urging the Governor to “See them, talk to them, make a deal.” ??????????”
She continued, “This is, too, an issue about the “Karen’s” we see filmed weekly- using someone’s race, as a point to try and push their agenda, while calling the police in situations where their lives are clearly not actually in danger at all….. they’re just plain f***ing racist. EVERY. TIME. feels more disheartening and nauseating because our cries for the Government and Americans to do better seem unheard; but even when we feel like what we do isn’t enough or can’t help, we have to do more. Keep signing petitions, making calls to demand justice, speaking out (this is not just if you have a big platform- it starts in your homes and communities), and fighting to make a difference for every life that has been wrongly taken or effected by THE PANDEMIC OF RACISM. THIS IS ABOUT BEING AGAINST EVERY SENSELESS ACT OF DISCRIMINATION THAT BURDENS THIS COUNTRY.”
Adele
Adele took to her Instagram to call for the movement against police violence not to get “disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now.”
“George Floyd’s murder has sent shockwaves around the world, there are countless others that haven’t. Protests and marches are happening all over the globe simultaneously and only gaining momentum,” the singer started, alongside a picture of Floyd. “So be righteously angered but be focused! Keep listening, keep asking and keep learning!”
She went on, “It’s important we don’t get disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now. This is about systematic racism, this is about police violence and it’s about inequality. And this isn’t only about America! Racism is alive and well everywhere.”
“I wholeheartedly stand in solidarity with the fight for freedom, liberation and justice ♥️.”
Lizzo
Lizzo went live on Instagram to open up about how she is hoping for some equality in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
“It’s always white people using the term ‘race war,’” she said. “We don’t want that shit. We want what we’ve always wanted from the beginning of being in this f***ing country — the same rights that all these other people have. It’s not that difficult.”
“Black people are tired. We are so tired. I’m tired of putting myself in danger. It’s not danger from the protestors, it’s danger from the police who don’t value me. Danger of the white supremacist groups who are shooting at people, who are running people over with their cars.”
“I wasn’t in this position a year ago, [with] this profile. This many people didn’t know who I was a year ago. I remember every time these things happened, I would look to these famous people and say, ‘Where are your voices? Why aren’t you speaking up for us?’ I have to realize that responsibility as well. It would irresponsible of me to not reflect the times, irresponsible to not tell the truth.”
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