It’s no longer just athletes taking a knee against racial injustice.
When Pharrell Williams performed at a charity concert in Charlottesville, no knees were spared in showing solidarity with the protesting NFL players who have started kneeling during the national anthem.
Video: Pittsburgh Steelers Did NOT Come Out For National Anthem
The Happy singer got down on not one, but two knees during his set at Dave Matthews‘ Concert for Charlottesville: An Evening of Music and Unity on Sunday night, which was held in the wake of last month’s deadly white supremacist protests.
Williams, who hails from Virginia, assured that protests of this sort were what America was all about. He planted both knees on the stage, telling the crowd:
“If I want to get on my knees right now for the people of my city, for the people of my state, that’s what this flag is for.”
Pharrell takes a knee pic.twitter.com/ev9qcEfFhl
├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥ pharrell’s junebug (@angelAmyV) September 25, 2017
Amen!
The producer’s gesture was greeted with cheers by the audience at the University of Virginia‘s Scott Stadium. The concert, which was free for members of the Charlottesville and UVA communities, also featured performances from Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, and Chris Stapleton.
Pharrell wasn’t the only musician who took a knee this weekend — Stevie Wonder also took two knees “for America” at the Global Citizen Festival on Saturday.
This silent but powerful gesture began back in April 2016, when Colin Kaepernick refused to stand during the National Anthem to protest how the country “oppresses Black people and people of color.”
Now, with Donald Trump seemingly bent on dividing the country in every way possible, Kaepernick’s protest has grown into a movement that has exploded beyond the NFL. Based on POTUS’s nutty response to it all, we have a feeling half the country will be kneeling by year’s end.
[Image via Instagram.]
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