In just a few weeks, society as we knew it has been thrown into complete turmoil. While the images that we see on social media these days may be unsettling, sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can come together and I believe I speak for everyone reading this when I say we outside and it's time that people in powerful positions pull TF up.
During this time of social unrest, it's become clear that silence is mad loud and it's important that we remember who was a member of the movement when all of this is over. The black dollar is valuable as f*ck and after the dust settles, we won't forget the support (and lack thereof) of the celebrities that fought for our right to exist.
Along with Keke Palmer, Kehlani, and Miguel, who stood in solidarity with protestors to storm the streets of LA, was Insecure's Kendrick Sampson, a longtime activist who was brutally attacked and shot with rubber bullets by LAPD officers during a peaceful protest further proving that even celebrities are not immune to the disease that is systemic racism.
Keke, Kehlani, Kendrick, and Miguel aren't the only celebrities who are on the frontlines fighting the good fight, and their dedication makes us love our faves even more. From J. Cole to Tessa Thompson, here are 13 celebrities who are doing their part when it comes to combatting racial injustice:
Meagan Good & Devon Franklin
Michael B. Jordan
"This country was built on the backs of our ancestors––backs that had a target the entire time and this month is no different with more black lives caught in the crosshairs. Too many look at us as public enemies, only some see us as humans, and yet we need to be superhuman just to survive. We must strategize, organize, and train ourselves as we demand more. One arrest isn't enough. This is just the beginning."
John Boyega
"I'm speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but fuck that. Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process. We don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones."
Porsha Williams
"A very peaceful group of us protesters had pepper spray bombs thrown at us! In the post right before this one you can hear the music and peaceful chanting right before we were had bombed! SMH -What a shame to try to silence the people once again."
Chance The Rapper
Kendrick Sampson
"Peaceful to violent. The violence comes entirely from LAPD. You can hear the commander yell 'MOVE!'––cop talk for 'F**K EM UP!'––At the end watch THREE COPS coming at me as I defend someone on the ground they were beating!!!"
Tinashe
Miguel
"Ultimately if we want the kind of change that addresses the root of the problem, we cannot lead with our anger or rage. Human history across cultures and civilizations prove this. Now is the time to educate ourselves and each other and organize and strategize."
Ariana Grande
"Hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage. All throughout beverly hills and west Hollywood we chanted, people beeped and cheered along. we were passionate, we were loud, we were loving. cover this too please."
Featured image by Instagram/@tinashenow.
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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The first time I did it, I was among a group of ladies and we were encouraged to write down our feelings in our journals. Afterwards, we huddled around and one by one burned our pages with some ladies even revealing what they wrote. It was a beautiful moment and a great way to support each other.
The second time I did burn journaling, I was by myself. I was reading Calling In The One and one of the practices involved writing down the things I wanted to let go of and burning it. I had Cleo Sol’s “Know That You Are Loved” playing in the background on repeat while I burned the pages in my apartment bathroom.
What Does Burn Journaling Do?
Based on my experience and others' explanations, burn journaling is a cathartic practice. The act of burning serves as an emotional release of past traumas, old thoughts, and negative feelings. It’s also a way to say goodbye and/ or forgive.
Types of Burn Journaling
There are different examples of burn journaling: Burning journals after writing, burning letters and burning lists.
Burn Journals
As stated before, you can write in a journal and burn it afterwards. It’s up to you if you burn it page by page or wait until you fill the journal up and burn it altogether. There are journals you can buy for the sole purpose of burning them afterwards.
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Burn Lists
This technique involves writing a list of things you want to let go of and then burning it. Burning the list symbolizes the release of those things.
Burn Letters
Another example are burn letters. For this technique, you write a letter to someone that you either want to forgive or let go of, but instead of sending it to them, you burn it.
Safety Precautions
If you do decide to try this practice, make sure to be safe. Use a fireproof bowl for burning and never leave it unattended. Alternatively, you can shred the pages.
If you’re in Atlanta and want to try burn journaling, meet me this Sunday for Burn Journaling & Walk.
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Feature image by Mikhal Dmitriev/ Getty Images