When news emerged that Keith Lamont Scott had been shot and killed by police in Charlotte, North Carolina, the world shook its head in disbelief — again. Lamont Scott is the second black male to be shot by American police in a week. Kelela, the R&B singer who recently opened up about her growing frustrations with racism and white supremacy was quick to comment. She released a statement via Instagram addressing the root cause of this recurring injustice, explaining it begins with society’s inability to listen and acknowledge the culture of racist complacency embedded within the western world.
“The system that has me and you feeling shit all the time will only crumble when you and your white peers decide that there’s a really big problem with your complacency of black/brown suffering throughout the world,” she writes. Kelela’s statement suggests that as long as white people continue to address the subjugation of black people through the prism of their own experiences, fatal shootings and violent riots will only continue to happen.
“This means you gotta call yourself out, let others call you out and be willing to learn from the mistakes you will inevitably make, and then go to your white friends — not us — and talk about it,” the statement reads. “I think it’s time for white people to own the about face and complacency that they are part of every day.”
Captioned “Over It – Pt. 1 & 2,” Kelela’s micro-essay outlines the type of attitude adjustment needed in order for race-related tragedies — like the murder of unarmed black men at the hands of white police — to end. Read it here.
Credits
Text Amy Campbell
Photography Todd Cole
Styling Djuna Bel