It’s no secret that a lot of celebrities are using their voices to speak up against social injustice, and Mary J. Blige is using hers as well. During an Oct. 1 interview with Garage, Blige gave her insight on what the future could look like for Black and Hispanic people.
The “Just Fine” singer was joined by Hood By Air founder Shayne Oliver, and together they discussed their past works, what they reflect about their early careers, and lessons they’ learned.
Blige said during her music career she used her music to speak out and be “vulnerable” because she noticed that “a lot of people were closed in.” She went on to say that over time she noticed that more artists were learning to open up in their music and speak out.
Further along in their talk, the interviewer asked Blige and Oliver what they both thought a future could look like for Black and Latino people.
Trying to choose her words carefully, Blige started by saying, “This is one I’ve got to think about. It’s serious right now, and there is some change being made because we have been making the change.”
She later continued, “The dream was to be treated equally, because we have to live on this earth with everyone else. So I guess the future would be for everyone to be treated as an equal. For Black people to be treated like people, and not animals and being slaughtered.”
Speaking specifically to the racial injustice and discrimination Black people have had to face for centuries and even currently, she said, “Every time you look around, one of us is dying at the hands of a policeman, or just a regular Ku Klux Klan man as he’s walking down the street.”
Although she admitted that she doesn’t have “the politically correct answer,” she did leave off her answer with a positive message. She said, “We’ll be stronger. We’ll be stronger in the future, because we’re already strong people. We’ll be much wiser.”
