Adele, George Clooney, Kim Kardashian, & More Stars Speak Out Against the Police Killing of George Floyd

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The killing of 46-year-old George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has served as yet another breaking point for people exhausted by the pervasive racism and police brutality that still exist, and in many ways still define the United States.

Harrowing video footage from Monday, May 25, captured the seven-plus minutes in which police officer Derek Chauvin, who has a history of misconduct claims against him, used his knee to pin Floyd to the ground, ultimately cutting off his air supply. In the video, you can hear Floyd pleading that he cannot breathe; he died shortly after the excessive use of force. Chauvin was ultimately taken into custody on Friday, but not before people around the country rose up to protest the anti-Black racism and injustice to which Black people have been subjected for centuries.

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“Here’s the sad reality,” Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) wrote on Twitter the day after Floyd’s death. “What happened to George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery & Christian Cooper has gone on for generations to Black Americans. Cell phones just made it more visible. Dismantling systemic racism in our nation starts with demanding justice & holding others accountable.” In her tweet, the former Presidential candidate referenced the anti-Black targeting and killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Abery by two white men in Georgia, as well as the threats by a white woman to call the police on Christian Cooper, a Black birder in New York City’s Central Park.

Kamala Harris

Colin Kaepernick

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose career was halted after being effectively blacklisted by the NFL for taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality, supported protestors’ “right to fight back” in a tweet he sent on Thursday. “When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction,” he wrote. Many people on social media have pointed out the terrifying irony that Kaepernick, a Black man, was effectively punished for using a kneeling position to speak out against the very violence by Chauvin that killed Floyd.

Gabrielle Union

Union has long spoken out against racism and other forms of injustice and has been vocal in using her social media feed to provide information, lend support to other members of the Black community, and hold both the system and non-Black people who may be complicit in varying forms of white supremacy accountable.

“They want us to feel powerless, hopeless, terrorized forever,” she wrote in one tweet, which referenced yet another example of undue police force on a Black teen and his 90-year-old grandmother in Texas. “They expect 2 be free from consequences & accountability becuz, ya know, facts/history & what we see daily. Its all connected.” She also retweeted Insecure actor Natasha Rothwell, who said her “soul is tired” and her “heart is heavy.”

“Rest up and get back up mama,” Union wrote. “We gotchu. We got each other.” She added, “this shit is soul bruising, but we will not be defeated, together.”

Kerry Washington

Union wasn’t alone in also lifting up the memories of other Black people who have been killed by police in recent weeks. She retweeted memorials for Tony McDade and Breonna Taylor, as did Kerry Washington. The Scandal star also reminded followers that they have the power to vote — a sentiment which rapper Cardi B echoed in a lengthy Instagram video.

Cardi B

Janelle Monaé

Also on Twitter, singer and actor Janelle Monaé called out white people for staying silent and not leading the fight to demand justice for their peers. “When will the majority of protests & outrage be led by white people & police officers everywhere?” she asked. “These are your people killing us. Why are OUR voices & outrage LOUDER THAN YOURS during these times? WE DIDN’T DO THIS. I’m tired of US HAVING TO DO THE WORK YOU SHOULD BE DOING.”

Chris Evans

“I keep saying to myself ‘my god, what is happening?’,” Captain America actor Chris Evans also wrote on Twitter. “But in truth, I’m not shocked. At all. If you’re shocked, you haven’t been paying attention.”

Gigi Hadid

Hadid, who is expecting her first child with Zayn Malik, said she was “enraged,” “sickened,” and “heartbroken” in an Instagram that quoted comedian Will Smith. “Even when we feel like what we do isn’t enough or can’t help, we have to do more,” she said, calling out white people in particular. “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.”

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift slammed President Donald Trump for using language that could incite violence against protestors. “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?,” she asked him in response to a tweet that Twitter censored because it “glorified violence.”

Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama shared excerpts from a number of his conversations with friends about Floyd’s death, and referenced the heartbreaking viral video in which 12-year-old Keedron Bryant sings “I Just Want To Live.”

“This shouldn’t be ‘normal in 2020 America,” Obama said. “It can’t be ‘normal.’ If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better.”

Jennifer Aniston

Aniston continued the conversation on the silence surrounding racism and its resulting brutality. She shared an Instagram post on Saturday expressing her frustration at how these tragedies still occur in the modern-day world. Aniston wrote, “We need to acknowledge that the racism and brutality in this country has been going on for a long time – and it’s NEVER been okay.” Acknowledging the inequality in society, she continued: “As allies, who want equality and peace, it’s our responsibility to make noise, to demand justice, to educate ourselves on these issues, and more than anything, to spread love.” The actress concluded the caption urging followers to “Text FLOYD to 55156 and sign the @colorofchange petition to have all four of the officers who killed #GeorgeFloyd arrested.”

Jennifer Lopez

Beyoncé

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan expressed his anger and support on Instagram. “I am deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry,” the basketball legend and father of five wrote. “I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration. I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.”

Kristen Bell

The mom of two took to Instagram Monday sharing her donation to Color of Change, the largest online racial justice organization writing, “If you are feeling at any point, “ok already with the posts on this topic” I beg u to analyze & check ur privilege. This is a time to raise our voices about injustice. We can post cute stories about life later. Right now this IS life. And we are obligated, as people w/a moral compass, to stand up for what is right. I do not want the fact that I have been posting images of cops participating in the protests as anything other than this: I like seeing images of people that are part of the PROBLEM become part of the SOLUTION. I do not fear for my life when I am out in the world. And I will make a promise here & now to acknowledge where I see problems of injustice to fix them. To stand in front of my black brothers and sisters & protect them. To not ignore this conversation, even when it gets uncomfortable, even when I misstep. I am here to learn. I am here to be a part of the solution & to be anti-racist. Today I’ve made a 50k contribution to @colorofchange.”

Pink

The singer has been vocal in supporting Black Lives Matter by posting anti-racism resources for her followers and has addressed white followers writing, “The slogan of ‘Black Lives Matter’ does not mean other lives don’t. It’s calling attention to the fact that society clearly thinks black lives don’t f–king matter! And they f–king do!”

Kim Kardashian West

“For years, with every horrific murder of an innocent black man, woman, or child, I have always tried to find the right words to express my condolences and outrage, but the privilege I am afforded by the color of my skin has often left me feeling like this is not a fight that I can truly take on my own,” the mom of four wrote. “Not today, not anymore. Like so many of you, I am angry. I am more than angry. I am infuriated and I am disgusted. 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.”

Adele

“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 Grammy winner wrote Monday. “So be righteously angered but be focused! Keep listening, keep asking and keep learning!
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 ♥️ #blacklivesmatter #georgefloyd #saytheirnames”

George Clooney

In an essay for The Daily Beast, the Oscar winner discussed the systemic oppression of and violence against the Black community. “This is our pandemic. It infects all of us, and in 400 years we’ve yet to find a vaccine.”

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