What Kanye West, The Weeknd, and Other Celebrities of Color Are Saying About George Floyd’s Death
Celebrities of color are using their voices to speak out over the racial injustice in the United States, following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer on May 25. A-listers like Drake, The Weeknd, John Legend, and more are taking action following Floyd’s death and are using social media to urge their followers to donate to organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen were some of the first to get involved. On May 30, Teigen tweeted her $200,000 donation with her husband to help bailout protestors across the country. Then, Drake and The Weeknd were quick to follow suit. On June 1, Drake shared with his Instagram followers his $100,000 donation to the cause. The Weeknd also posted on June 1, announcing to his Instagram followers that he made a $500,000 contribution split between three organizations.mMost recently, Kanye West donated two million dollars on June 4 to support the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, along with black-owned businesses in his native city Chicago and across the country.
In response to their Instagram posts, fans were quick to praise these celebrities and show their support. The Weeknd’s Instagram post showing his donation receipts was accompanied by a caption urging his fans to donate whatever amount they can. His post received over 11,000 comments and Teigen’s post got more than 33,000 comments from fans expressing their thanks.
Kanye West
In addition to his two million dollar donation, West also established a 529 education plan to pay for Floyd’s daughter’s college tuition. He was also seen protesting in Chicago on June 4 as he joined Chicago Public School students and other protestors in the South Side during a march demanding Chicago keep police officers out of their schools.
The Weeknd
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
Meanwhile, The Weeknd took to Instagram sharing that he donated a total of $500,000 split between three organizations. He contributed $200,000 to the Black Lives Matter Global Network, $200,000 to the Know Your Rights Camp, and $100,000 to the National Bail Out. He is urging his followers to donate as much as they can.
Click here to donate to or learn more about the Black Lives Matter Global Network.
Click here to donate to or learn more about the The Know Your Rights Camp
Click here to donate to or learn more about the National Bail Out.
Drake
Drake contributed to the National Bail Out fund with a $100,000 donation, which he shared with his followers on Instagram.
Click here to donate to or learn more about the National Bail Out.
John Legend
John Legend and Chrissy Teigen donated $200,000 to help bail out protestors and support those marching for justice. Their contribution went to The Movement for Black Lives, National Lawyers Guild, and The Bail Project. Both Legend and Teigen have been active on Instagram urging their fans to take action and get involved. Keep an eye out for more celebrity contributions to learn more and find out ways you can help.
Click here to donate to or learn more about the The Movement for Black Lives.
Click here to donate to or learn more about the National Lawyers Guild.
Click here to donate to or learn more about the The Bail Project.
The Edge condemns racial injustice. We invite you to submit opinion pieces, stories, educational resources you have tried and other pieces of information you think can help continue the much needed discussion for change and equality, to elonedge@gmail.com. We hope to create a space for collaboration and education and encourage you to help us do so.