Jay-Z and Roc Nation Publish Newspaper Ads Honoring George Floyd

Jay-Z, his entertainment agency Roc Nation, and its philanthropic arm Team Roc have taken out newspaper ads all over the country to honor George Floyd on Tuesday, June 2.

The advertisement, which appeared in newspapers including the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune, featured a quote from the 1965 Selma, Alabama address delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The famous speech opens by saying that the only way to really achieve freedom is to "somehow hunker the fear of death," adding that "if a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."

"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," MLK famously said in the address.

Below the extended MLK speech are the signatures of Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter, Roc Nation, and Team Roc. It also included signatures from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Sisters of the Movement, and Ladies of Hope Ministries.

Aside from Jay-Z and civil rights organizations, the ad also contained signatures parents and siblings of Danroy "DJ" Henry, Botham Jean, and Antwon Rose II - all unarmed black civilians who died in the hands of police officers.

Pleasantville police officer Aaron Hess shot DJ Henry during the early morning hours of October 17, 2010. The 20-year-old African-American man was out with his teammates in the Pace University Football team. After an altercation, Henry was shot three times, leading to his death.

Botham Jean was killed on September 6, 2018. An off-duty Dallas police officer Amber Guyger entered the apartment where the 26-year-old accountant lived. Guyger mistakenly believed it was her apartment and that Jean was a burglar, shooting and killing him in the process.

Antwon Rose II, a 17-year-old African-American, was fatally shot by East Pittsburgh officer Michael Rosfeld. A police officer ordered the passengers of a vehicle to step out in a video that made the rounds on the Internet. While the car driver was being handcuffed, Rose and another passenger, Zaijuan Hester, attempted to run. Rosfeld fired three times, with Rose being hit by all shots.

Jay-Z and Roc Nation's ad was taken out in response to George Floyd's death. In a press conference last Sunday (May 31), Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told members of the media that Jay-Z called him about George Floyd.

In the statement, Gov. Walz said: "If we do not get to that systemic problem, eventually this will get us back to the problem that led to our communities on fire." The Minnesota Governor also recounted that he received a call from Jay-Z, who Walz described as "Not international performer but dad stressing to me that justice needs to be served."

George Floyd is the 46-year-old black man killed after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for several minutes while he was pinned on the ground during an arrest attempt for forgery accusations. The death of George Floyd has sparked a string of protests across the country. The national outrage has led the entertainment and music industries to suspend business in observance of "Black Out Tuesday temporarily."

Tags

Jay-Z, Roc Nation, Black Lives Matter