Social media is aflame with grief and outrage following the shooting deaths this week of two African American men, Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in the Twin Cities. But not all the rage is directed at white police officers, or politicians. Some indignation has found its expression in the white performers who profit from the appropriation of black culture, but have had little to say about the people who've produced the culture they annex.
Celebrities such as Iggy Azalea, Miley Cyrus, and Justin Timberlake are no strangers to the criticism that they've profited handsomely from black fashion, dance styles, music and even the street lexicon of African Americans. But critics this week have begun to double-down on their criticisms as these very celebrities have maintained an uncomfortable silence about police violence that affects the very culture they exploit.
“Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams recently made a powerful speech at the BET awards, where he called for an end to racial discrimination and police brutality against Black people in the U.S., and also referenced the appropriation of black creative talent. In that vein, many blacks called out as naive Timberlake’s support for Williams aderess.
On the other hand, here are five celebrities who join Williams in speaking out against state oppression.
1. Drake shared a moving open letter on his Instagram.
Late Wednesday night, rapper Drake posted a response to the death of Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Describing the death as leaving him “disheartened, emotional and truly scared”, Drake shared how incidents like this could happen to any of his friends and family.
2. John Legend was appalled at the news.
Singer John Legend, whose civil rights-themed song called “Glory” from the movie Selma, won Best Original Song at the Oscars in 2015, wrote an impassioned series of tweets.
3. Actress Gabrielle Union tweeted with outrage.
The star took to Twitter and passionately called on people that say “all lives matter” to prove it. Union has continuously called out racist incidents on her account in the past.
4. Ne-yo has posted about the shootings all week.
R&B singer Ne-yo, who had been tweeting about police violence throughout the week, also reacted to the latest death of Castile.
5. Zendaya pointed out how police killings of Black people have been an ongoing occurrence.
The actress and singer listed a handful of other Black people who have been shot and killed by police within the past couple of years, noting, “To think… that’s not even the beginning of it, these are just the few we got on video…. makes me sick.”