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‘13 Reasons Why’ Star Alisha Boe Is Using Her Voice to Fight Against Racial Injustice

by NicoleGrappone posted on July 7, 2020
DAVID MOIR/NETFLIX

Actress Alisha Boe opened up during a Refinery29 interview, sharing ways she has used her large platform to spread awareness on racial injustices.

Alisha Boe portrayed Jessica Davis in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Jessica Davis had a powerful character development throughout the seasons. Jessica took the trauma her character endured and used her “new voice” to help inform her classmates of sexual abuse. In season three,  she became class president and made sure abusers were held accountable. However, Alisha Boe wants to follow in Jessica Davis’s footsteps and use her voice to respond against the world’s current climate.

“For a long time, I was really afraid of voicing any opinion. But I think at some point, you’re just tired. You stop caring [about] whatever will happen in the comments section,” said Boe in her interview with Refinery29.

Alisha took to Instagram on Wednesday, May 27th, posting a dedication message to George Floyd, Kenneth Ross Jr., and Ahmaud Arbrey,   victims of police brutality.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Kenneth Ross, Jr. These men could be my father, uncle, brother, cousin, friend. To think that these are rare occurrences in America is absolute ignorance. These were just the cases that A.) had video proof B.) went viral. There are thousands of other innocent men and women of color being killed by police quietly. Racism in America is alive and well, and I’m so tired. I’m so tired of being afraid for my brothers and sisters. I’m so tired of being reminded that simply being black in America is in itself a crime. Are our bodies that disposable? When is it enough? How many more people need to be murdered until we see change? In 2020, we are fighting the same fight that our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents (and so on) had to fight for… it is absolutely atrocious. These men did not deserve the price they paid for the whatever “crime” the police thought they committed. Using my platform to raise awareness is the very least I can do but posting something on Instagram, though raising awareness is always positive, is simply HALF the job. We MUST put our actions to our words. Please, find it in your heart to demand justice for GEORGE FLOYD. Text FLOYD to 55156. CALL the DA ( 612 – 348 – 5550) to tell them to file charges immediately to the four police officers. George Floyd – murdered by police because they thought he FORGED a check. (Died by having an officer kneeling on his neck for several minutes while THREE other officers applied all their weight on the rest of his body, Floyd was handcuffed and unarmed.) Ahmaud Arbery – 25 years old- murdered by three white civilians because he was going for a run in their neighborhood. They cornered him and shot him to death. The killers were not immediately charged until national pressure forced Georgia officials to arrest them. Kenneth Ross, Jr – 25 years old – murdered by police officer with a semi-automatic weapon. Gardena Police planted evidence on Ross and said he had a weapon which warranted the murder. Two years later, body camera proved that Kenneth Ross, jr was UNARMED and innocent. The police murdered an innocent man then covered up their murder.

A post shared by alisha ilhaan bø (@alishaboe) on

In the same interview, Alisha shared her thoughts while also linking ways in which her following can do their part to help demand justice for George Floyd and his family.

She added, “I’m just so tired of being a community of the unheard and pain. It’s personal because I see my father, I see my brother. Those are friends, my family.”

Alisha went on to explain her family’s background, mentioning she is of Somali and Norwegian descent. She also brought up her younger brother, Asante, who will soon be a high school student. Being apart of a series based on teenage-hood, Alisha expressed her concern for her brother. “It’s even harder to have a president who would rather label certain protesters as terrorists rather than a school shooter,” she said. “A school shooter, he would never call a terrorist.”

Alisha has been actively expressing the need for change in our “broken system,” as she stated. To keep up with more of Alisha’s educational content, follow her on Instagram, and check out her full interview with Refinery29 here.

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