(Photos from Left: Mirrorpix/Splash News, Kevin Winter/Getty Images For 102.7 KIIS FM's Wango Tango, Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company)
By Moriba Cummings
The role of “the celebrity” is, essentially, a job. Though unorthodox in relation to the average nine to five, it comes with the same dose of professionalism and apt outward expression in given situations. In the wake of the recent murder of 18-year-old Ferguson, Missouri, teen Michael Brown, however, several celebrities have ditched their politically correct facades and let their authentic selves breathe, airing out their thoughts on the situation, with some opinions receiving more public support than others.
While some celebs, though their intentions may have been positive, seemed to rant with no thesis to their statement, several others have logically made successfully fleshed-out points in the argument against Michael Brown’s shooting. Most notably, rapper and philanthropist David Banner made it an effort to continue his past dialogues about Black-on-Black crime, redirecting his focus to that of Brown’s murder.
“White cops do not see value in young, Black men,” he said to CNN’s Don Lemon. “And the reason why a lot of young, Black men — not all Black men — kill each other is because they don’t see any value either.”
Also extending support for Brown on the music front is J. Cole, who decided to take the less common approach of saving his words and, instead, actively taking a stance. The “Crooked Smile” rapper flew to Missouri and visited the actual site where Brown was murdered. Several accounts from bystanders stated that the MC also appeared at a memorial demonstration dedicated to the teen on Sunday. In addition to his in-person support, J. Cole also released a track titled “Be Free,” which was specifically dedicated to Brown.
Another Hollywood A-lister who has vocally advocated against this recent crime of injustice is Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams, who passionately shed light on the inferior treatment inflicted upon African-Americans by authorities, even pointing out that the media is not telling the “full story.” He also touched on the unfair stigmas placed on people of color when, in the wider scheme of the American story, White America is more likely to commit acts of violence than Black America.
“I think we have to talk about the narrative and make sure we’re starting at the beginning,” he said during an appearance on CNN. “You will find that people doing the oppressing often want to start the narrative at a convenient point…this started with a kid getting shot and killed and left in the street for four hours. I’ve never seen a white body left in the heat for four hours in the sweltering heat.”
In addition to Banner and Williams, several other respected celebrities shared their perspectives on the Michael Brown killing, ranging from John Legend respectfully — and oh so effectively — clapping back at IBNN News, who recommended that the “All of Me” singer “stay in his lane,” to media mogul and fellow St. Louis native Kimora Lee Simmons, who offered to fund the slain teen’s funeral in its entirety.
While the majority of Black Hollywood seems to stand united in the quest towards justice for Michael Brown and the fights against police brutality in Ferguson, a select few have taken heat for their less than respected opinions. One of these devil’s advocate contributors is ATL rapper B.o.B., who recently came under heat from the public after calling out supporters of Brown for their “double standards” on violence.
Taking to Twitter, the source where words can be deleted just as fast as they can be posted, the “We Still in This B—h” MC shared his unpopular opinion with his millions of followers.
“So Antwon will shoot 12 people in a week and tall [y’all] be like ‘FREE TWON!’ a cop shoot a n—a and ya’ll riot….ok….#facts,” he tweeted.
After this brief rant, he later targeted Twitter protestors, concluding that they are all pomp and circumstance and, in essence, pseudo-activists advocating for a cause that they will not take any action to ultimately rectify.
“Ya’ll ain’t gonna REVOLT!!! I bet ya’ll won’t overthrow the government of [or] nothing!!! All you gonna do is TWEET!” he wrote.
Following the slew of hateful comments aimed at his intelligence, supposed failing music career and knowledge on the Michael Brown/Ferguson situation at large, Bobby Ray removed the sequence of tweets from his profile.
While opinions among celebrities are nothing new, regardless of the stance taken by each figure, it is refreshing to finally see this dialogue being had. Too often, media figures choose to adopt a stance of neutrality or extend a politically correct response in an effort to refrain from ruffling any feathers, when, in fact, this is the time when feathers need to be unapologetically ruffled as our race is being victimized under the wider context of a few scattered shootings; these shootings carried out by those whose main order is to “protect” us all. So, regardless of your stance — though we would prefer if you would stand with us rather than against us — please continue to speak out so that progress can be made for the greater good of our people.
