CELEBRITY CULTURE
Focusing on the subtopic of Black Lives Matter, this portion of the website will seek to identify the factors that contribute to the influence that celebrity culture has on the Black Lives Matter movement. Further displaying which celebrities not only acknowledge, but support this ongoing issue. Examination into the power of speeches, events, political connections, and other factors that celebrities contribute to the media and how they cover Black Lives Matter. The media exposes the public to a very racist Hollywood, causing the rise of inequalities and raising the issues of how people of different races are lumped with outdated stereotypes. With actors constantly playing roles that are stuck within these stereotypes, Hollywood continues to not only expose the public to racism, but to implant these assumptions and negative attitudes towards people of colour. Examining how celebrities have identified the underlying issues within Hollywood and how the public responds to famous people when speaking on behalf of activist culture. Many celebrities have supported Black Lives Matter through forms of artistic expression, speeches and many other media covered events. This research will highlight how celebrity culture has a large impact on the public, further proving that the celebrity voice is very powerful. Finally, in order to examine how celebrity culture is existent within the topic of Black Lives Matter, I will do extensive research into how celebrities have used their power of fame to bring this topic to light within the media. Further examining how celebrities support this movement and bring it to light during many major media covered events.
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Although racism seems like a worthy cause for celebrities to openly back, a lot of celebrities do not do so, because of the potential impacts it could have on their career. There are multiple circumstances in which a celebrity was mis-quoted or their words were taken out of context and were publicly displayed as a racist. These claims can affect their career and ‘like-ability’ which is a very important attribute as a actor/actress. The fact that celebrities words are picked apart by the media and scrutinized draws attention to them and their mis-wording and away from the real issues. This is why we must acknowledge celebrities standing up and stating their opinions on Black Lives Matter and allow their strong voice to be heard and not criticized. Celebrities have the privilege to speak and to be heard, their voice has a large impact on how movements such as Black Lives Matter spread.
The Power of Speech
Beyoncé & Jay Z
The power couple has showed their support for Black Lives Matter both in their artistic expression and outside activism. In October 2015, Jay Z's music streaming service Tidal held a charity concert in Brooklyn which raised $1.5 million for social justice groups, including Black Lives Matter.
Beyoncé Named Most Charitable Celebrity of 2016 for Black Lives Matter Advocacy
"Beyoncé was one of the year’s most politically outspoken stars."
In the wake of the 2016 deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, Beyoncé posted a passionate call to action against violence on her website. This post spread awareness to all of her fans and followers along with a large response from the media.
The "StopKillingUs" hashtag went on to become viral on Twitter.
The 35-year-old singer sparked controversy in February when she performed her anthem “Formation” at the Super Bowl halftime show. Dancing alongside a slew of all-black backup dancers dressed in Black Panther Party costumes, the performance was deemed an “attack on police officers” by critics, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The performance ultimately sparked backlash from law enforcement organizations across the country and resulted in calls for a boycott of Beyoncé’s “Formation” world tour.
The song’s controversial video, which included imagery of the singer sitting on a sinking police car, was released at the same time Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z made a $1.5 million donation to Black Lives Matter and other social justice groups via the couple’s streaming music service Tidal.
Months later, Beyoncé mocked police officers by featuring merchandise at her concerts bearing the slogan “Boycott Beyoncé.”
After the police-involved shooting deaths of two black men in July, the singer penned an open later directed at American law enforcement.
“We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities,” she wrote in the letter posted to her website. “It is up to us to take a stand and demand that they ‘stop killing us.’”
Also at the top of DoSomething’s Celebs Gone Good list is the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the Broadway hit musicals In the Heights and Hamilton.
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Jesse Williams Awards Speech
"We've been floating this country on credit for centuries, yo, and we're done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil - black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. The thing is though... the thing is that just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real."
CARMELO ANTHONY, CHRIS PAUL, DWYANE WADE AND LEBRON JAMES
The NBA stars joined together to open the 2016 ESPY Awards with a powerful speech about Black Lives Matter.
"The system is broken. But the problems are not new, the violence is not new and the racial divide definitely is not new.”
"I know tonight we are honoring Muhammad Ali, the 'G.O.A.T.', but to do his legacy any justice let's use this moment as a call to action for all professional athletes to educate ourselves, explore these issues, speak up, use our influence and renounce all violence,”
"And most importantly go back to our communities, invest our time, our resources, help rebuild them help strengthen them, help change them.”
All four players said that they would continue to fight after their ESPYS speech.
Celebrities who advocate for Black Lives Matter are encouraging fans and others to participate in the movement and educate themselves more on the issues that are underlying within Hollywood. However, segregation still exists within the media not only through television shows and movies, but also within the celebrity population itself. Highlighting how black celebrities are still lumped together and separated from the whiteness of Hollywood. Unfortunately, Hollywood has a very white lens and even with these movements in place, racism continues to be a problem within Hollywood.
The Voice:
Celebrities joined each of their voices together to create the '23 Ways' video project that describes 23 ways a black person can be killed in the United States. With nearly two-dozen celebrities including musicians and actors featured in this campaign, the Youtube video went viral at a rapid rate. The message embed within this video included celebrities urging Americans to sign a petition that calls on Congress for "radical transformation," including funding for health care, education and criminal justice reform.
Each of the 23 incidents referred to in this video include a life that was lost as result.
That is 23 lives lost...
Spread the word that Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, and All Lives Matter.
23 Ways
Kanye West
Kim Kardashian West
The 11 million Kanye West followers on Twitter received a late night reminder that #backlivesmatter.
West rarely tweets but recently he posted a message on his Twitter account that couldn't be ignored. It was a note about the ongoing nationwide protests on behalf of slain, unarmed Black men and youth, especially with the non-indictments of the officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
The reality star Kim Kardashian joined the conversation regarding the recent shootings, publishing an impassioned essay entitled “#BLACKLIVESMATTER"
The Impact:
Celebrities have also taken Black Lives Matter and turned it into All Lives Matter, meaning that “black lives matter' doesn't mean other lives don't – it's simply asking that the black community also achieves the justice they deserve.” Celebrities are able to create instant trends and spread their opinions globally in very short amounts of time. The fact that celebrity culture is involved in the Black Lives Matter movement allows it to widespread across countries quickly. The movement All Lives Matter seeks to prove that we should all matter. With the presence of celebrities in the media talking about these issues and shedding light on the facts, the Black Lives Matter movement is spreading worldwide, urging more people to join the conversation of segregation. Urging people to notice that not one person matters more than another. And Finally, urging people to fight for a movement that focuses not on a single group, but a movement that fights for all of us.
#AllLivesMatter
