Latin artists like Residente, Amara La Negra, Ricky Martin, Becky G, Luis Fonsi, Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro, among others, are speaking out after the death of George Floyd to demand justice and express their solidarity with the black community.
In the midst of national outrage over yet another black person’s death at the hands of police — Floyd was suffocated by a Minneapolis police officer during an arrest — Puerto Rican rapper/songwriter Residente shared with his millions of followers on social media the number to call to report the police officers involved in the death of Floyd. “[read more] reporting the police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd. You just have to call +1 6123244499 and follow the instructions,” he wrote.
Amara La Negra took the streets of Miami to join the thousands of protesters around the country demanding justice and an end to systemic racism. “I am Dominican and proud of it. My parents are Dominican. But first I AM BLACK. And I will always defend my people. I have always talked about the discrimination I have suffered, we have suffered.”
Meanwhile, Ricky Martin shared part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “The Other America” speech: “And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”
Earlier this week, a video of Floyd’s death surfaced showing Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on the neck of Floyd for eight minutes. Chauvin was later charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
Over the weekend, a number of Latin artists joined the cry for justice on social media. See their posts below.
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There are not enough words to express the millions of emotions Ive been feeling as a member of the overall minority community, but most importantly as an ally to the black communities that have and still are being directly affected by past and present events. I am proud of the people I follow and fans that I see reposting resources – to better themselves, to bring awareness and to uplift one another and stand in solidarity. But I urge you all to consider who you are offline and what else we can do, to not just place bandaids on gun shot wounds. To those who are not talking about this with friends, family, fans – YOU are part of the systemic problem. If you are not outraged and heartbroken by the fact that BLACK LIVES have been shamelessly killed for far too long, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. If you arent furious about leaders in powerful positions, threatening VIOLENCE on their own people and promoting racism, YOU ARE PART OF THE FUCKING PROBLEM. I stand with #blacklivesmatter. & if you too stand against racism, I ask you to please visit the link in my bio. It will lead you to some of the petitions, phone numbers, and other useful resources that are working to help the overall cause. Please join me in elevating the voices the system has tried to silence for too long. https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#
A post shared by Becky G (@iambeckyg) on May 30, 2020 at 4:30pm PDT
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For days Ive been doing a lot of thinking, analyzing a never ending problem. My heart hurts for the brutal murder of George Floyd may God Rest His Soul. #justiceforgeorgefloyd My heart goes to his family and his loved ones. Justices needs to be served. We have a problem, a problem with no signs of ending. Its not that there is more cases, people are filming now. Being a latino immigrant was tough and it still is. When i came to this country I automatically became a victim. I am NO LONGER A VICTIM. I know who i am,i know where i came from and i know where i want to be. I will always stand for whats right not because of race but also because we are HUMAN and thats the only race. There are bad cops and good cops, there bad people and good people. Lets not mess it up for the ones trying to do GOOD. We need to be better, i see people posting posting and posting, next day they are in a boat partying or continuing there little Perfect Lives. Thats the fakest shit ever. Awareness? What more awareness do we need? It is evident that whats been going on for years and years is not a secret. How can we make the change? Lets find the ROOT and outsmart them. Lets prove to them we are NO THUGS, there favorite cynical frase. Im really mad, YOU are mad and you have all the right to be mad but we can do better and not feed from ignorance. I was reading about how can we make a change. I saw Kim Kardashian fighting for the prison reform. Is like how can you make a change in a broken and corrupted system. She started going to law school to break in the system and make a real change and thats the smart way to do it. She went to the root of the problem. Lets Have a Voice by Voting! We are smart, we can break into the system without looting and destroying our home but by attacking the problem from the root. Trust me is gonna be tough and challenging BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. Remember We Cant Put Out Fire With Fire. Love and Wisdom will rule and conquer. Love yall and please be safe -Maffio
A post shared by MAFFIO (@maffio) on May 31, 2020 at 10:26am PDT
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If you cant breath. I cant breath. You are my sister, my brother, my lover, my friend, my family. I wont stop feeling pain if you feel pain, because if something happens to someone you love; you ache and you mourn with them. Romans 12:15 (@sharishort11 thanks for speaking to my heart.) I am so sorry racism still exists. Im so sorry for the pain innocent lives have gone through. This is wrong. And as Dr Martin Luther King said: Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Love is our revolution. #blacklivesmatter #icantbreathe #LOVE Si no puedes respirar. Yo no puedo respirar. Eres mi hermana, mi hermano, mi amigo, mi familia. No voy a dejar de sentir dolor si tu sientes dolor, por que si algo le pasa a alguien que amo; me duele tambien y lloro tambien. Romanos 12:15. Me duele que el racismo aun exista. Me duelen las vidas inocentes que han sufrido. Esta mal. Y como dijo Dr Martin Luther King: El odio no puede sacar al odio; solo el amor puede. El amor es nuestra revolucion.
A post shared by SOFIA REYES (@sofiareyes) on May 30, 2020 at 12:55pm PDT
