INTERNATIONAL – It’s one more sad day with the chaos in the US ongoing and the clashes on the streets keeping on. The racist death of George Floyd became more than a hashtag. Besides the general sentiment around the world, celebrities and singers all over the world lash against Donald Trump and his administration as the US President failed to unite the nation and burst the riots all over the countries, in most cases leading to the usual looting.
THE BLACKOUT THURSDAY HASHTAG
The music industry is taking a stand against racial injustice. A number of notable musicians and high-profile music labels have rallied to turn June 2 into “Blackout Tuesday,” a day to pause the music to show unity against racial injustice and social discrimination. The initiative comes in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Floyd, an African-American, died after a white police officer suffocated him with his knee. Floyd’s death has sparked protests around the world.
Blackout Tuesday was put into motion with the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused, and was organised by Jamila Thomas – senior director of marketing at Atlantic Records – and Brianna Agyemang – a former Atlantic executive who now works at Platoon. The pair said in a statement that #TheShowMustBePaused is “an initiative created by two Black women in music in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard,” adding, “We will not continue to conduct business as usual without regard for Black lives.”
Blackout Tuesday will not be “just a 24-hour initiative,” Thomas and Agyemang said: “We are and will be in this fight for the long haul. A plan of action will be announced.” Massive Attack, Quincy Jones, Billie Eilish, Eminem and Ariana Grande are among the artists that have voiced their support for the initiative.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS CRISIS
- Protests erupted for a seventh day across the US over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- At least 40 cities imposed curfews and National Guard members have been activated in at least 23 states and Washington, DC.
- In the capital, police fired tear gas to clear peaceful protesters near the White House, shortly before President Trump walked to a nearby church and took a photo.
- An independent autopsy found Floyd died from “asphyxiation from sustained pressure,” while the Hennepin County Medical Examiner found “no physical findings” to “support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.”
- One former officer who was seen with his knee on Floyd’s neck was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter — but protesters say the charge doesn’t go far enough and are demanding charges for the other officers involved.
