"The lives of black people count . " America has been shouting the refrain with one voice since May 25, the date of the death of George Floyd, an African-American citizen who died during a police check in Minneapolis. The slogan, or rather this cry of the heart, taken up in the demonstrations against the police violence which agitated the country this weekend, resonates up to Hollywood.
Read also: Our report in Minneapolis, in the epicenter of the riots that ignite the United States
"The death of George Floyd is not acceptable to anyone. We stand in solidarity with our members, colleagues, storytellers and black artists and all black people across the country because we know that the lives of black people count, ” relayed the Academy of Oscars on its Twitter page.
And the Academy is not the only one to give voice. Entertainment giants have brought back the hashtag, born after the death of a young black man in 2013, to the taste of the day. “To be silent is to be an accomplice. Black life matters. We have a platform, and we have a duty to our black subscribers, employees, creators and talents to speak up, ” reads the Twitter page of the Netflix streaming platform.
Disney could not be silent in front of this drama. “We are against racism. We are for inclusion. We support our black employees, storytellers and creators and the entire black community. We must unite and express ourselves , " tweeted the firm with big ears.
To show its solidarity, the HBO television channel has renamed itself "Black Lives Matter". "It is neither love nor terror that makes you blind, but indifference ," said the chain, quoting American writer James Baldwin. We support our colleagues, employees, fans, actors, black storytellers - and everyone affected by this senseless violence. "
The slogan has been taken up by other Silicon Valley platforms, such as Hulu, Amazon Studios, AMC and Fox Entertainment. But also by the production companies Warner Bros, Paramount and A24. "We regret the loss of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade and so many others , tweeted the latter in reference to many African-Americans who lost their lives during a police check. Black voices and stories played a role in the growth of A24. We will continue to amplify these voices and tell these stories, but from today we will act to show how much we value black lives. ”
