*Cue Star Wars theme* A short time ago in a country far, far away, John Boyega once again proved that he’s about that life—black life, to be specific.
On Wednesday, many gathered to participate in the Black Lives Matter protest and demonstration located in Hyde Park, a public park in Central London. In addition to the movement touching every single state in the U.S., the protests have had a major global impact, as well.
“It’s a problem that’s happening worldwide. In every single corner of this whole universe, racism is happening and it needs to be addressed in every single corner. That is why I am doing this today,” Black Lives Matter London organizer Naomi Smith told the Evening Standard.
Boyega joined the uproarious protest in his hometown, which was sparked after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.
According to Metro UK:
Today many descended on Hyde Park, where Star Wars actor Boyega referenced two other black Americans who controversially died in the US, as well as the racist UK murder of Stephen Lawrence.
He told demonstrators: “We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence.”
“Look I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this but, fuck that,” Boyega reportedly told the crowd. The “fuck it” force is strong with this one—and I love every bit of it.
As you may know, the 28-year-old Star Wars fave has been about that life and has not coddled white folks (well-meaning or otherwise) when it comes to discussing how much he hates racists.
Frankly, if defending the rights and lives of our people leads to the loss of employment, brand sponsorship or anything else that allows us to provide for ourselves and our family, then that gives us all the more reason to fight to abolish this trash system.
Still, Black Hollywood made sure to let the record show: they’ve got Boyega’s back. Notables such as Tracy Y. Oliver, Jordan Peele and Matthew A. Cherry have already chimed in; Cherry, specifically, called for non-black industry players to pledge their unrelenting support for Boyega in a tweet that quickly went viral.
At one point during the protest, Boyega became reasonably emotional, screaming through the megaphone: “Black men, we need to take care of our black women! They are our hearts!” Specifying this was a significant gesture, as we also try to raise awareness about the black women who are being pushed aside in the mainstream movement, such as Breonna Taylor and Nina Pop.
“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting,” Boyega exclaimed to the cheering crowd.
Black Lives Matter. That’s it, that’s all. The end. Fin(n).