African-American celebrities who are vocal about equality

Jesse Williams - The 'Grey's Anatomy' actor accepted the 2016 BET Award for his activism with a stirring speech: "If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression. If you have no interest in equal rights for black people, then do not make suggestions to those who do. Sit down."

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Uzo Aduba - The 'Orange Is the New Black' actor and Emmy Award winner is a vocal defender of the Black Lives Matter movement. She has said about critics who claim the movement is exclusionary that "It's not excluding people. On Earth Day we don't include Jupiter we just have Earth, we just celebrate Earth on that day."

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Beyoncé - Following the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in 2016, the celebrity wrote in her blog that African Americans "are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities. We don't need sympathy. We need everyone to respect our lives…"

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Chrissy Teigen and John Legend - In the wake of Eric Garner's death in 2014, the couple hired several food trucks to feed the protesters in New York City. In response to Philando Castile's death, Legend wrote: "We should not have to jump through hoops to prove black people shouldn't be shot by police during routine traffic stops."

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Kanye West - The rapper often includes political messages in his songs, including 'Black Skinhead,' 'New Slaves,' and 'Blood on the Leaves.' Also, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he accused the George W. Bush administration of not caring about black people, a comment for which he later apologized.

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Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James - The NBA stars opened the 2016 ESPY Awards with a speech about Black Lives Matter. One of the highlights of the speech included: "Not seeing the value of black and brown bodies has to stop but also the retaliation has to stop."

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JAY-Z - In 2015, the rapper's music streaming service held a charity concert in Brooklyn that raised $1.5 million for social justice groups, including Black Lives Matter.

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Janelle Monae - The rapper has been vocal about her black and feminist views. In a 2017 interview with Refinery29, she said that "As a Black woman, I think that when Black women are in the room, in whatever industry, it's always better. It's going to be great when our ideas, our values, things that matter to us are considered."

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Nick Cannon - The TV personality has participated in Black Lives Matter protests. He wrote in a now-deleted post on social media that "A life is a life. No human has the right to take another human's life! Peace is the message here!"

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Halle Berry - The only African-American female actress to ever win an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role addressed her 2002 acceptance speech to women of color: “This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It’s for the women that stand beside me—Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.”

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Prince - In his 2015 Grammy appearance, the Man in Purple said that "Like books and black lives, albums matter.”

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Tyga - The rapper has been vocal about police brutality against African Americans. In the wake of the Alton Sterling and Philando Castile deaths, he wrote: "I'm no politician but I know right from wrong. What is it going to take for innocent black people to stop being murdered by the police."

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Samuel L. Jackson - The actor challenged his fans and friends to join him in what he called the "I can't breath" challenge, to protest against police brutality following the choking death of Eric Garner.

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Kerry Washington - In the wake of the 2016 deaths of five police officers at a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, the 'Scandal' actor wrote: "As a Black person, my life matters. My life matters And yours does too… The violence must stop."

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Solange - The singer told Bust in a 2017 interview that she is "a proud black feminist and womanist and I'm extremely proud of the work that's being done."

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Kendrick Lamar - The rapper is known for his politically-conscious songs that call for action and activism. Additionally, he is involved in his hometown of Compton, CA.

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Mary J. Blige - The actor, singer, and producer has said she hopes her 2017 film, 'Mudbound,' prompts the audience to ask questions about racism in America, “for those that are ready to face it”.

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Keke Palmer - The actor and singer has been vocal about black stereotypes in Hollywood, which she believes hinders opportunities for African-American female actors. In a 2017 interview with Bustle, Palmer said: "People told me that black girls couldn’t be dramatic actresses and that became my and my mother's whole initiative for a while." For this reason it took her a while to accept herself for who she is.

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Sza - The R&B singer-songwriter told The New York Times in an interview: "I don’t feel ashamed to be loud, which is an argument I’ve had with lots of men, who thought I was too sassy and unladylike. A lot of black women get that rap."

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Nicki Minaj - The rapper is known for having strong opinions and being vocal about her beliefs, as made apparent by this quote she told The New York Times: "If you want to enjoy our culture and our lifestyle, bond with us, dance with us, have fun with us, twerk with us, rap with us, then you should also want to know what affects us, what is bothering us, what we feel is unfair to us."

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Queen Latifah - At the 2016 VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Queen Latifah spoke about the racist values embedded in our society, highlighting that it's up to all of us to change our attitudes and perspectives.

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Gabrielle Union - The actor and activist often takes to Twitter to comment on racial injustices: "You cannot be an ally & stay silent & complacent in the face oppression/hatred/murder. Interesting to see which 'friends' remain silent."

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Russell Simmons - The hip-hop mogul and activist has shared his own experiences with being afraid of the police as a young black boy. In an episode of the Guardian US politics podcast, Simmons said: "As a young person, I was always afraid of the police, and I have had experiences of being mistreated and yelled at and talked down to. I’ve always been afraid when I see them coming, and so when Black Lives Matter emerged, I joined in immediately.”

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Colin Kaepernick - The former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he started a huge controversy when he refused to stand for the National Anthem at the beginning of games in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial inequality. He sparked rage but also inspiration, and he ultimately sacrificed his career in the name of activism as he remains unsigned by any team.

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Denzel Washington - The two-time Oscar winner is a spokesperson and board member for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, helping build a sense of belonging in younger generations. He has also donated more than US$1 million to the Nelson Mandela Children's fund, which helps African kids.

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Spike Lee - The renowned director, who often includes racial messages in his films, denounced the government in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for not doing enough to help black Americans. Lee went on to direct a 2006 documentary about the hurricane's devastation of Louisiana.

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Kevin Hart -

The comedian doesn't often address racism in his routines, but he doesn't shy away from denouncing it in other areas of his life. Hart often takes to Twitter to address race issues, like this 2017 tweet in which he wrote, "Please talk to your kids & make them understand how disgusting it is to hate a individual because of the color of their skin," as well as this tweet: "We are better than this people .... Love will forever beat hate. I will not stop loving. I love people of all races d**n it."

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Zendaya -

The actor and singer often posts about Black Lives Matter on social media. She wrote one of her most powerful messages on Twitter in July 2016, following the death of Alton Sterling: "How many more times must this happen for us to matter? How many more must we lose? BLACK. LIVES. MATTER."

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