Black Lives Matter: Why Won't Your White Faves Speak Up?

Nights like tonight, I feel so hopeless in the "progress" we've made as a society. Another senseless killing of a Black American. This is MURDER. The cops were fired.

Brittany Noble Jones was fired because her natural hair was "unprofessional." These cops need to be arrested and put on trial for murder.

Never forget their names. Rest in power.

This is the time for everyone to be speaking up – especially those with a platform. It's not the time to hold back your tongue, especially when social media has become a cesspool of trolls and young teenagers that will say anything for a viral tweet, Tik Tok, or Insta post. There are so many influential celebrities who haven't said anything today about the murder that took place but this is nothing new. White celebrities have always stayed silent when it comes to controversial issues like this, to keep their fanbase.

2019 Bachlorette Hannah Brown recently came under fire for saying the "n word" while singing the lyrics to a song, drunk on an Insta live. That same night, Brown denied that she said it even though her fans called her out on it and blamed her brother. The next morning, probably sobered up, Brown put out an 'apology' statement on Instagram and hasn't spoken about it since. It's been over a week of social media silence.

Yet, her fans were not silent as they tried to silence the voices of Black Americans explaining why what she did was racist. "It's just a song, she's singing along to a song" is not a justifiable excuse for saying the "n word." If you are NOT BLACK you should not be saying that word, PLAIN and SIMPLE. I'm half Black, half Japanese. I hate that word, because it gives non-Black people a reason to continue saying it in songs and to each other. It's degrading. It's an ugly piece of our history. But there are Black Americans who believe in reclaiming the word. Which DOES NOT give non-Black people a reason to say it.

Now would be the time for Hannah Brown to sincerely apologize, but she's remained silent. White celebrities that I follow have also stayed silent, including Timothée Chalament, Troye Sivan, Elizabeth Gillies, Astrid S, Logan Lerman, Matthew Daddario, Sophie Turner, Tom Holland, etc, etc. (This is not a comprehensive list, but rather a list I compiled in my frustration of watching white celebrities stay silent on issues like these for fear of losing fans. And yes I included you, even if you're not American.)

Update: as of May 29th, 2:30PM the following celebrities have included statements on their Instagram Stories, which inevitably disappear after 24 hours: Timothée Chalamet, Troye Sivan, Elizabeth Gillies, and Sophie Turner.

Update: as of May 29th, 12:00PM Tom Holland has made a statement on his Instagram feed. Thank you Tom.

(Dove Cameron was also in this list, but tonight's the eve of what should've been Cameron Boyce's 21st birthday. I understand her not wanting to be on social media at all. )

Update: as of May 28th, 11:00PM Dove Cameron has made a statement on her Instagram feed. Thank you Dove.

Four years ago, after Alton Sterling was murdered, I filmed a video in my bedroom trying to voice my frustrations. I posted it on YouTube for like a hot minute, but took it down because I looked terrible in the video and I sounded like "Cali from the Valley." (I'm pretty shy when you first meet me and I went to school in the suburbs).

I edited the video on iMovie, so that you can't see my terrible make-up, and slowed it down just enough to change the tone of my voice. Also condensed it for clarity because back then I was just talking and talking and talking.

Four years later, sentiments haven't changed. Black Americans are STILL dying, while white police officers are STILL getting away with murder. FOUR years later. (Joy in 2016: you have no idea what's coming in 2020).

I remember the day Trayvon Martin was killed. I remember years later trying to watch Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story and feeling so cold, so helpless, so hopeless. And I'm so tired of remembering all this pain. I'm so tired of people hopping on this trend and then forgetting about it, letting the media die down about it.

I really don't know what more to say that hasn't already been said. If the celebrities mentioned above finally break their silence, I'll be happy about that, but it'll feel so artificial. Like they're only speaking up because their fans are calling them out. Is it even genuine if they speak out then?

Black Lives Matter. Black lives have always mattered and will always matter. Not interested in hearing about All Lives Matter, or about reverse racism, or about white girls feeling oppressed because they're called Becky or Karen. Oppression is not a competition you want to win, and I don't understand why white people fight so hard to prove they're oppressed.

Here's a Twitter thread to some petitions you can sign and some you can donate to: