John Boyega Speaks at London Black Lives Matter March
The Star Wars actor delivered a powerful speech to Black Lives Matter protesters at Hyde Park on June 3.
Many protesters around the world began marching this week due to the death of George Floyd, a Minnesota man murdered by a police officer. These international rallies also address incidents of racism outside of the US: in London, many shouted the name of Belly Mujinga, a Black woman and rail worker who died of COVID-19 after being spat at.
Earlier in the week, Boyega shared posts supporting Black Lives Matter on his social media. On Wednesday, he marched on the streets with thousands of other protesters.
Carrying a megaphone, Boyega addressed the crowd with an emotional speech. “This is very vital,” Boyega said. “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.”
“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,” @johnboyega just told #BlackLivesMatter protesters in London’s Hyde Park pic.twitter.com/P49cbwIp6P
— Haley Ott (@haleyjoelleott) June 3, 2020
Boyega called the crowd a “physical representation of our support” for George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, Stephen Lawrence, and Mark Duggan. He also advocated for the importance of Black Lives Matter protests being peaceful and organized.
“They want us to mess up,” Boyega remarked. “They want us to be disorganized, but not today, not today!”
Clearly moved, Boyega urged for Black men to take care of Black women. “They are our hearts. They are our future,” he shared. “We cannot demonize our own.”
“I speak it to you from my heart,” he told the crowd. “Look, I don’t know if I’ll have a career after this.”
If you want to support Black Lives Matter, make sure to check out this video: it’s a project made by Black creators, and all of the revenue from the ads will be distributed to organizations and bail funds for protesters.
