It hasn’t been an easy few weeks for many across the US following the death of George Floyd on May 25th. After Floyd was murdered by an officer who kept a knee on his neck for nearly 9 minutes despite his desperate pleas, protests and riots quickly erupted in every state in the country to take a stand against police brutality. It didn’t take long for other cities around the globe to begin joining the US in solidarity while also standing against police brutality in their own countries, and one such country was London, where a certain celebrity made an impassioned speech that garnered significant attention.
Star Wars‘ John Boyega took to the streets of London to protest last Wednesday before he stood up to thank the crowd at Hyde Park and rally them for the Black Lives Matter movement. Though he made it clear that he didn’t care if it jeopardized his career in any way, Lucasfilm quickly announced their full support and helped show him that he wouldn’t be facing any backlash from the industry. As a matter of fact, it actually seems to have helped his career, as directors like Cathy Yan, J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson, and Jordan Peele rapidly made it clear that they’d love to work with him.
In the time since, Boyega’s speech has made its way across the internet to become a viral sensation and led to overwhelming support for the actor. He’s now taken to Instagram to thank those who have shown him so much love and to further discuss the important topic at hand.
I want to thank you all for the love and support you have shared over the last few days, although nothing I have done is for praise, or is truly even enough, in the grand scheme of things. This is an intense time for our community, and the most important thing is for us to maintain momentum and not lose sight of how critical it is to pursue long term solutions and commitments, for the sake of our generation, and the next. Our individual pursuits of success and belonging remain, but now more than ever, it’s important to use this movement as fuel to inspire new ways of thinking, building, and growing, together. I believe any great movement starts with a renewal of the mind. I know you’re all thinking, what’s next? Where do we go from here? Because I’m thinking the same sh*t! Conversations about black businesses, ownership and support are happening, and I will continue to have these conversations with the full intention of birthing ideas that are sustainable and tangible. Let’s increase our knowledge!
I’m excited to see an awakening happening in all of us! I’ll continue to use my platform to fight against the injustices and inequalities in our community, no matter what. Nonetheless, one man can’t do it alone – I need you, and we need each other! We need everyone, across industry’s, soci-economic backgrounds, countries, to unite with a shared goal of REAL change. Before the pandemic hit, I visited a few schools in Southwark, to share my journey and to truly understand the minds and needs of our next generation. It was eye opening and inspiring to say the least, and I look forward to continuing this work, and contributing more, once it is safe to do so. I urge the black men of our community, my peers, to do the same. Connecting with our kids and motivating them towards a future that is stronger and brighter, is urgent, and necessary. In the meantime, let’s work on clearing the runway for them, so they can take off, and fly. Love everyone, and stay safe x.
Protests continue across the country two weeks after the death of George Floyd, and the nation remains in unrest. However, the consistent pressure from the protesters seems to be slowly leading to change. If two weeks of protests led to multiple cop arrests and law enforcement reforms, what could another two do?
