In the wake of the Minnesota police of killing George Floyd, Jay-Z is letting his voice be heard. The superstar called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to demand justice. Walz revealed the details of the phone call during a press conference:
“I received a call last night – to understand how big this was – from JAY-Z. Not international performer but dad stressing to me that justice needs to be served. It was so incredibly human. It was a dad – and I think quite honestly, a black man whose visceral pain of this that he knew. His words summarized that justice needs to be served here.”
“He said he feels the compassion and the humanity of these folks who are speaking. He knows the world is watching, and how Minnesota handles this is going to have an impact across the country. It’s a positive sign that someone of a stature, that has a presence like that is focused in the moment of what Minnesotans are focused on.”
Jay has faced backlash for his recent handling of demonstrations against police brutality. Most notably, Jay is quoted for saying that we are “past kneeling” after announcing his new partnership with the NFL. Colin Kaepernick and other NFL stars had began kneeling to protest police brutality in 2016.
It will be interesting to see if he will be able to garner support as a leader within the community during this time. What do you think? Are you confident that Jay will be able to lead despite recent remarks?
