It's important for celebrities to use their platform to speak up about issues like police brutality, but Jamie Foxx wants to remind his celebrity peers that that's just the beginning of the work that's necessary to combat racism in America. Since the death of George Floyd, demonstrations have formed in cities across the country to protest yet another killing of a Black man at the hands of a police officer. Members of Hollywood have been quick to post and donate, but Foxx urges them to take things a step further. While speaking to a crowd at San Francisco City Hall on Monday, the actor called out members of Hollywood who aren't getting actively involved in the movement.
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"And what I want to say about my Hollywood friends: You gotta get out here," he said to cheers. "You can't sit back. You can't tweet. You can't text. You gotta get out here."
Foxx went on to say he's even received messages from celebrities asking him to speak for them.
"So many people are texting, 'Foxx can you tell them to stop doing this, Foxx can you tell them to stop doing that,'" he said. "You tell them. You come out. You see what it is."
Jaime Foxx calls on his Hollywood friends to stop tweeting and come out pic.twitter.com/Fc0qgm0txx
— Johana Bhuiyan (@JMBooyah) June 1, 2020
A number of celebrities have been loud and unapologetic in their calls for change. Star Wars actor John Boyega received pushback for tweeting "I really fucking hate racists," Halsey donated over $100,000 to various BLM-related organizations, and Taylor Swift posted a rare political tweet promising to vote President Trump out of office. But as demonstrations grow over the next few weeks, all eyes will be on who gets out from behind their computers and shows up to do the hard work in person.
To help bring attention to the police killing of George Floyd, you can sign the Change.org petition here, or donate to local organizations like Black Vision Collective or Reclaim the Block via the Minnesota Freedom Fund here.
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