Harry Belafonte and Chaka Khan are joining the protests and Florida boycott in hope of getting rid of the controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws in the state after George Zimmerman was found not guilty for the murder of Trayvon Martin.
The George Zimmerman verdict was announced two weeks ago, but the social and political movements stemming from the case remain as strong as ever.
Chaka Khan is the latest entertainer to announce that she will boycott Florida, presumably in an attempt to fight the “Stand Your Ground” laws.
The “I’m Every Woman” songstress didn’t specifically state whether or not her boycott is a result of the controversial laws or Zimmerman’s acquittal, but she said the verdict was nothing less than a “travesty.”
“Well the trial, number one was a travesty,” she told the Huffington Post. “Racism is still very much alive and well in this country. It has gone to more of a cerebral state. But it’s alive and well. The new slavery is keeping black me in jail.”
She added that she has already canceled a show in Florida that was scheduled for last week.
Other music icons such as Stevie Wonder have also announced that they are boycotting Florida.
“I decided today that until the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again,” Wonder told a large audience in Canada earlier this month.
As for Chaka Khan’s protest, it isn’t certain if her boycott will end when the “Stand Your Ground” laws are abolished or when she feels that Trayvon Martin and his family finally receive justice.
According to singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte, that fight for justice certainly begins in Florida.
Belafonte took to Florida on Friday to participate in a protest against the “Stand Your Ground” law.
Belafonte and other activists joined the large group of protesters who have occupied the state’s Capitol ever since the Zimmerman verdict was announced.
The protesters are urging Florida Gov. Rick Scott to call a special session for legislators so they can debate changes to the state’s self-defense laws.
The “Done Laid Around” crooner warned Scott that if he doesn’t act now, the issue may not be as easy to manage later.
“At the moment all of this is governable, all of this is in a place where it can be debated and analyzed and discussed in a very peaceful, calm, productive way,” Belafonte explained before warning that a lack of change soon may make the entire situation “ungovernable.”
While he said he is hoping violence does not result from the protests, he believes that the social movement will become strong enough to bring the state to a “grinding halt.”
