During the 2016 presidential campaign, the Mic media company published a video titled “23 Ways You Could Be Killed If You Are Black in America” which featured celebrities bringing awareness to the tragic deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police officers such as Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, and Eric Garner.
As Joe Biden is preparing to replace Donald Trump in the White House, musicians are once again presenting a public service announcement focused on racial justice. This time the #breathewithme Revolution and the Black Music Action Coalition are using the presentation to demand the incoming president, as well as Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris, take immediate action on systemic racism.
Alicia Keys, Khalid, Asian Doll, Summer Walker, Ty Dolla $ign, 070 Shake, A$AP Ferg, Mary J. Blige, Offset, Keke Palmer, Quavo, Indy 03, Jay Balency, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, T.I., Vic Mensa, and Rapsody made appearances in the “17 Ways Black People Are Killed in America” vid on the NowThis News YouTube channel. Each person names more people of color that have been unjustly killed in the United States.
“I can’t believe I’m back four years later with 17 more ways you can be killed,” says Keys in the video’s opening moments. The PSA then goes on to call for the Representative Barbara Lee-presented United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation to be established within the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration.
Joe Biden’s political success in 2020 was closely connected to the support of African-Americans. Representative Jim Clyburn’s timely endorsement helped galvanized Black support behind Biden in the 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary which saved the then-struggling candidate’s presidential campaign.
Black voters, volunteers, media figures, and activists were also credited with playing a huge role in Biden’s general election win over Trump in November. The Black community also greatly contributed to Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff’s respective victories in Georgia’s 2020-2021 Senate runoff races which put Democrats in charge of the upper chamber of the United States Congress.
