Jay-Z And Roc Nation Create Powerful Tribute To George Floyd
Jay-Z and his label Roc Nation have reportedly partnered with families who have lost brothers, sons, and fathers to police violence, along with high-profile attorneys and fellow activists, to take out full-page ads in newspapers across the country in honor of George Floyd and the thousands of other victims of police killings.
Captioned, "in dedication to George Floyd. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd," the ad quotes a passage from the speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made in Selma, Alabama amid his famous 1965 march with thousands of others seeking civil rights.
"So we're going to stand up amid horses. We're going to stand up right here, amid the belly-clubs. We're going to stand up right here amid police dogs, if they have them," the ad reads, quoting King. "We're going to stand up amid tear gas! We're going to stand up amid anything they can muster up, letting the world know that we are determined to be free!"
Aside from Hov, the letter is also signed by the parents of Botham Jean, DJ Henry and Antwon Rose II, Black men all tragically killed by police, as well as Charlamagne tha God, Van Jones, Angela Rye, an attorney for the Floyd family, and several activist organizations like The Innocence Project and Until Freedom.
The ads appeared in the Tuesday (June 2) editions of The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Austin American Statement, The Orlando Sentinel and The Atlanta Journal Constitution, among several other nationally-renowned newspapers.
CNN reports that a representative for Jay-Z says there will be more ads published in newspapers across America on Wednesday as well.
From Los Angeles and Atlanta to New York and Detroit, demonstrators have taken to the streets to express their frustration over the lack of police accountability and calling for reforms.
Tuesday marks a week-and-a-day since George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin. Four former officers have since been arrested for their involvement in the 46-year-old’s death, including Chauvin, who was charged with third-degree murder and second degree manslaughter.
BET has been covering every angle of George Floyd’s death by police and the subsequent aftermath. For our continuing coverage of the protests nationwide, click here.
