John Boyega gave an incredible Black Lives Matter speech on Wednesday.
Boyega, who plays Finn in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, was one of several celebrities who joined protests fighting police brutality against black people, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd was killed by police after a police officer, Derek Chauvin, forced his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Chauvin was fired and charged with second-degree murder. The three other officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao — were fired and charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Boyega attended a protest in London’s Hyde Park, where he delivered an emotional speech putting the movement over his acting career.
“Black lives have always mattered,” Boyega said. “We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.”
“Every black person understands and realizes the first time you are reminded that you are black,” Boyega added, occasionally stopping to fight back tears during the speech. “You remember. Every black person in here remembers when another person reminded you that you were black.”
“Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f*** that,” referencing his acting career and relationships in Hollywood.
After Boyega’s passionate speech, the team behind ‘Star Wars’ tweeted their support and shared a full video of his speech.
We stand with and support you, @JohnBoyega. View his full speech: https://t.co/Goxb5y2wrK pic.twitter.com/ZvE0t5tRPY
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 3, 2020
In relevant news, ‘Riverdale’ actress Vanessa Morgan criticizes Hollywood’s depiction of Black people.
After the protests of George Floyd’s death, ‘Riverdale’ star Vanessa Morgan is using this time to teach her followers about Hollywood’s systemic racism and the lack of meaningful roles that actors of colors are offered.
In a social media post on May 31, Morgan called out the TV industry. “Tired of how black people are portrayed in media, tired of us being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry scary people,” she wrote in the note. “Tired of us also being used as sidekick nondimensional characters to our white leads. Or only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show.”
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