John Legend’s Politics Go Beyond His Work
Singer John Legend has made a splash by speaking out on the Black Lives Matter movement. After the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, Legend went viral for his tweets condemning the killing of Blacks by police. He also recently wrote an open letter to President Obama urging clemency for nonviolent drug offenders. The singer doesn’t shy away from including racial politics in his work, either, as he produced WGN’s enslaved African drama “Underground” and contributed music for the historical film “Selma.”
Colin Kaepernick Takes a Knee
Since August, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has protested the national anthem during NFL games because of the oppression of Blacks in America. After moving from sitting to kneeling, pressure mounted for the NFLer to call off his protest, but he continues his demonstration, now with the public support of his parents. Kaepernick has been seen in T-shirts of such activists as Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, and he has made several philanthropic gestures, including sending jersey proceeds to Black communities.
