It’s been one week since George Floyd was killed in Minnesota police custody. Since then, the country has erupted in riots and protests. Lizzo, who spent six years living in Minneapolis, had a message for her 8.7 million Instagram followers on Sunday (May 31).
In a video clip, she addressed both white and black people, explaining what she believes is their various roles in the war against police brutality.
She made it abundantly clear the white population needs to make their voices heard and not be complicit by remaining quiet.
“Black people, this is your daily reminder that it is not your job to educate people on racism or white privilege,” she says. “It is exhausting and if they don’t see it or believe it by now, they don’t want to. There are Googles and there are books and they can do that for themselves.
“White people, this is your daily reminder that as long as you stay silent, you are part of the problem. I know you’re not racist, but you have to be more than that. You have to be anti-racist. Speak up. And to all the influential people who have spoken up, thank you so much for your allyship and your support.”
Lizzo continued, “Protest is the beginning of progress, not the end of it. And now that the protestors have everyone’s attention, what are the next steps that we’re going to take to make sure that we’re actually moving forward and we don’t go back to this bullshit? Now it the time. The world is standing still and waiting for action. Let’s make progress.”
She reiterated in the caption, “Protest is not the end of progress, it is the beginning,” she added in the caption. “I wonder what would happen if all the big companies and celebrities who have showed support on social media came out and used their platform to let activists and protesters speak and be seen? I wonder what would happen if we allowed the outrage to have positive influence in our local government?
“What would happen if those in power defunded the police & dismantled their racist culture and corrupt power structures? Cities are burning, are you watching? I stand with Minneapolis. I believe in us. Change is gonna come.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer has been extremely vocal in the wake of Floyd’s death. In an impromptu Instagram Live session over the weekend, she got noticeably emotional as she spoke about the current state of the country, specifically what’s happening in Minneapolis where the killing occurred.
“What they just told me is at this point all the violence, the majority of the violence that’s happening in that city is coming from the KKK and the heavily militarized police,” she said. “There are people coming from the south, there are white supremacist terrorist groups coming from the south, patrolling the streets, shooting people.
Hip Hop Demands Justice For George Floyd As Nationwide Riots Erupt
“Nobody seems to care about the way that black women feel. 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.”
The music industry will hold Black Out Tuesday on Tuesday (June 2) to protest police violence against the black community.
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