As President Lyndon Johnson pushed hard for the expansion of civil rights law during his administration, he once said why work so hard to get power unless you’re going to use it?
That LBJ idea is something many celebrities like superstar Nick Minaj — with huge followings on social media — are experiencing now. Having gained broad influence, Nicki Minaj is now using her platform and megaphone to push for justice instead of pushing product.
Nicki Minaj blasted out the list above — a tragic enumeration of the black lives lost through police violence. The list is made even more horribly poignant by the quotes beside the names of the lost, from Eric Garner to George Floyd to Kendrec McDade, who said heartbreakingly on March 24, 2012: “Why did you shoot me?”
Minaj’s post includes a call to action to her 115 million Instagram followers to go to change.org to sign a petition. It also gives instructions on texting to support a push for more punitive sentencing for the officers involved in Floyd’s death.
It’s a long way from even as recently as February 29, when Minaj posted this simple “Peace & blessings to you” video.
