‘I’m tired of putting myself in danger’
Anti-racism protests have broken out across the world, calling for justice for George Floyd.
George, an unarmed black man, died whilst being arrested by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 25 May.
In viral video footage taken by a bystander, a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, can be seen kneeling on the 46-year-old’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, whilst pinning him to the ground. ‘I can’t breathe…please stop,’ were his last words but the police officer continued to choke him until he lost consciousness. He died in hospital an hour later.
George Floyd’s brutal killing has brought to light a much deeper issue about the deeply engrained systemic racism felt across the world, with people standing up across the globe to say enough is enough.
Singer Lizzo is one of the most recent high profile names to speak out, with her important words about racism going viral.
'We want what we’ve always wanted from the beginning of being in this fucking country, the same right that all these other people have,' Lizzo explained. 'It’s not this difficult. It’s not that hard to see. The people that don’t see it don’t want to see it. I don’t have sympathy for people who don’t see it anymore. Black people are tired. We are so tired.
‘I’m tired of putting myself in danger. It’s not danger from the protesters, [it’s] danger from the police who don’t value me. Danger of the white supremacist groups who are shooting at people, who are running people over with their cars. How do we not see where the issue is? Why is everyone being so — in the media — political? This isn’t a political issue. The issue is in politics, but it’s not a political issue. It’s so much deeper than politics. It’s in the veins of this country … there is racism running through its veins.’
She concluded: ‘This is the most outrage I’ve seen as a country, and that is starting to give me the first semblance of hope I’ve had in a long time. I really do believe in the good of people, and maybe that makes me naive, but I’ve seen Minneapolis rise up and do incredible things.’
We're forever bowing down to you Lizzo.
