Billie Eilish isn't afraid to speak out against injustice.
On Saturday,daughter having sex video the 18-year-old singer posted a blunt and lengthy statement to her 63.3 million Instagram followers to address the death of George Floyd.
Since Floyd died on May 25 after a Minnesota police officer pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, protests against racism and police brutality have taken place across the United States.
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Celebrities such as Taylor Swift have started using their giant platforms to help raise awareness and amplify an urgent need for change in America, and now Eilish is joining in. Eilish posted a statement written in her Notes app that detailed a plea for white people to understand their own privilege and use it to help those in need.
View this post on Instagram#justiceforgeorgefloyd #blacklivesmatter
"I've been trying to take this week to figure out a way to address this delicately," Eilish wrote. "I have an enourmous [sic] platform and I try really hard to be respectful and take time to think through what I say and and how I say it… but holy fucking shit I'm just gonna start talking."
Eilish went on to slam anyone who uses the slogan "All Lives Matter" instead of "Black Lives Matter," especially after publicized acts of police brutality, and explained why the slogan is so upsetting.
"No one is saying your life doesn't matter. No one is saying your life is not hard. No one is saying literally anything at all about you… all you MFs do is find a way to make everything about yourself. This is not about you. You are not in need. You are not in danger," she wrote.
The singer proceeded to use several metaphors to explain why the phrase infuriates her so deeply.
"If your friend gets a cut on their arm are you gonna wait to give all your friends a bandaid first because all arms matter? No you're gonna help your friend because they are in pain because they are in need because they are bleeding!" the teen wrote. "If someone's house was on fire and someone is stuck in the house, are you gonna make the fire department go to every other house on the block first because all houses matter? No! Because they don't fucking need it."
Eilish then called out white privilege and urged those reading her statement to think long and hard about how the color of white people's skin does not make their lives harder.
"If all lives matter why are black people killed for just being black? Why are immigrants persecuted? Why are white people given opportunities that people of other races aren't?" Eilish wrote. "Why is it okay for white people to protest literally being asked to stay at home while carrying semi-automatic weapons? Why is it okay for black people to be called thugs for protesting the murder of innocent people? Do you know why? White. Fucking. Privilege."
Eilish concluded her four-photo statement with the hashtag #justiceforgeorgefloyd, and her words left quite an impression on followers. The singer's post has received more than 2.5 million likes since it was posted around early on Saturday morning, and celebrities such as SZA, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Zoë Kravitz, and more have thanked her for speaking up.
Earlier in the week Eilish also shared a photo of Floyd on Instagram and highlighted several ways people can take action. You can find additional ways to demand justice for George Floyd and support protests here.
