Watch John Boyega's Powerful Speech to Demonstrators in Hyde Park, London
“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important.”
Yesterday, John Boyega joined London‘s protest in Hyde Park against the killing of George Floyd, who was murdered by a former white Minneapolis police officer on May 25. The British-Nigerian Star Wars actor made a powerful and emotional speech, addressing the racial injustices that have prevailed for hundreds of years.
“Black lives have always mattered,” Boyega said at the beginning of his message. “We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting.” As he continued to empower those who attended the rally, Boyega couldn’t hold his tears back any longer and momentarily broke down. However, he still carried on saying: “Every Black person in here remembers when another person reminded you that you are Black … I need you to understand how painful this sh*t is, how painful it is to be reminded everyday that your race means nothing. And that isn’t the case anymore.”
Watch the full speech in the video above. In related news, here are some resources on how to better understand privilege.
