Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and more react to George Floyd’s death
ABC/Image Group LABillie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes were just a few of music artists speaking following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis man who died last Monday after a police off…
By ABC Audio on June 1, 2020
ABC/Image Group LABillie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes were just a few of music artists speaking following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Minneapolis man who died last Monday after a police officer held him down by the neck with his knee for more than seven minutes.
Eilish shared a lengthy message on Instagram, criticizing people who use the phrase “All Lives Matter” in response to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, writing, “IF ALL LIVES MATTER WHY ARE BLACK PEOPLE KILLED FOR JUST BEING BLACK?”
“WHY ARE IMMIGRANTS PERSECUTED? WHY ARE WHITE PEOPLE GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES THAT PEOPLE OF OTHER RACES AREN’T?… WE HAVE TO ADDRESS HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF OPPRESSION OF BLACK PEOPLE, she continued.”
Ariana joined a peaceful protest in Los Angeles over the weekend, later sharing photos and a message about her experience.
“hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage,” she wrote. “all throughout beverly hills and west hollywood we chanted, people beeped and cheered along. we were passionate, we were loud, we were loving. cover this too please”
Lady Gaga tweeted on Sunday, “The voices of the black community have been silenced for too long and that silence has proven deadly time and time again.”
“I urge people to speak gently to each other, speak with passion, inspiration and impress the importance of this issue until the systems that keep us sick die, instead of people we love,” she added.
Cabello, who, along with Mendes, walked walked with protestors in Miami, Florida on Sunday, according to Entertainment Tonight. Mendes, 21, held a Black Lives Matter sign, while Cabello reportedly walked ahead of him carrying her own sign.
A day earlier, Camila posted on Instagram, writing in part, “I’ve been trying to find the right words to say after I saw the video where George Floyd’s life is being taken from him with impunity… I am so sorry to George Floyd’s family and Ahmaud Arbery’s family, And Breonna Taylor’s family and to the countless other black families that have their children and parents being taken away from them.
“Mendes tweeted a separate message on Saturday, declaring, “It’s time to take action on that feeling in your heart that knows how wrong this is. This can NOT be the world our children of the future live in. The time for change is long overdue & we can’t rest until change is what we get.”
By George Costantino
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