Misty Copeland is a trailblazer in the world of ballet. She is the first Black woman principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre, has signed lucrative endorsement deals and also has her own Barbie doll. And when the COVID-19  pandemic hit the ballet community, Copleand helped to organize Swans For Relief, a recital to raise money for the struggling dance community.

Now, the 37-year-old is using her platform to speak out on how the national protests for police reform in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, has changed her life. 

Copeland told Yahoo Finance, “For me, it's the first time, in my position, that I feel like I'm truly being heard and to me, that's a step. You know, this has been my life's work as a dancer: speaking about racism in the world, and in ballet, speaking about the lack of diversity.”

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She continued, “To have the ballet world listening, and to have different panels to speak about this—in a way that I have before, but again, for the first time, people are really seeing it. And I think that’s what's different about this time, is that I feel like we have true allies and people from other communities and races that we've not had before.”

In the video below, watch Copeland talk more with Yahoo Finance about how dancers are struggling for work during the coronavirus pandemic.