Jay-Z and Roc Nation take out full-page newspaper adverts dedicated to George Floyd
Jay-Z and his entertainment company Roc Nation have taken out full-page adverts in newspapers across the US dedicated to the memory of George Floyd.
Earlier this week the rapper joined the growing list of notable names from across the worlds of music and entertainment to publicly call for justice for Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. Former police officer Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
In his statement on Monday (June 1), Jay-Z called upon Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison “to do the right thing and prosecute all those responsible for the murder of George Floyd to the fullest extent of the law.”
Yesterday (June 2) saw Jay-Z and Roc Nation’s philanthropic arm Team Roc take out full-page adverts dedicated to Floyd’s memory, with the ‘In dedication to George Floyd’ piece being printed in such US newspapers as The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Philadelphia Enquirer.
In dedication to George Floyd. #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/FT25EBnPHJ
— Team Roc (@teamroc) June 2, 2020
The ad contains a powerful quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. which the civil rights leader made during an address in Selma, Alabama in March 1965.
“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right,” the King quote reads. “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.
“So we’re going to stand up amid horses. We’re going to stand up right here, amid the billy-clubs. We’re going to stand up right here amid police dogs, if they have them. We’re going to stand up amid tear gas!
“We’re going to stand up amid anything they can muster up, letting the world know that we are determined to be free!”
As well as Jay-Z, the ad was signed by such organisations as the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Women’s Global Initiative and Van Jones’ Reform Alliance. The parents of Botham Jean, DJ Henry and Antwon Rose II, all of whom were unarmed black men who were killed by police officers, also signed.
CNN cites a Jay-Z representative who says that more newspaper adverts will follow in US papers today (June 3).
Last weekend, Jay-Z spoke with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to demand justice for Floyd.
