Top 10 Times Celebs Were Outspoken About Racial Injustice

Whether he’s appearing on “House,” hosting “Kal Penn Approves This Message,” or playing one of the title roles in “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle,” there’s no doubt Kal Penn can be a funny guy. But even when faced with horrendous racism? Yep! In 2017, Penn was attacked by someone on Twitter who claimed he didn’t belong in America. In response, Penn created a fundraiser for Syrian refugees–in that person’s name. So, at least according to official records, a racist bonehead has raised over $800,000 for the International Rescue Committee, specifically for refugees trying to flee to the United States. There’s nothing like a bit of humor spiced up with some poetic justice.

On the surface, pop singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock seems to have had an amazing career; currently, she sings with one of Britain’s hottest girl groups. But during her first years with the band, Pinnock struggled. Why did it feel like she didn’t have as many fans as the other girls? Why did she always seem to have to work ten times harder for recognition? Eventually, she realized it was because of her skin color. Instead of giving up, Pinnock became an advocate for change: she starred in a BBC documentary entitled “Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop, and Power,” in which she addressed how racism is built into our society and how we can make changes.

If you know Clara Amfo, you most likely know her voice. She has worked as a voiceover artist, a DJ, and a host on BBC Radio 1. Her show often talks about psychological health, and in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Amfo was strong enough to admit that her own mental well-being had been deeply shaken. “Knowing how the world enjoys Blackness and seeing what happened to George,” she said, “we Black people get the feeling that people want our culture but they do not want us.” Amfo went on to describe how racism hasn’t disappeared – it may be more subtle, but it is as pervasive as ever.

Michelle Krusiec is pretty frank about her early experiences in film, playing nameless Asian villagers and accented immigrants; the Taiwanese American actress was once told that she would always “have to work harder than anyone else in the room,” because she had to “be better than [her] white counterpart.” While 2020 saw Krusiec with a recurring role in the Netflix miniseries, “Hollywood,” it was a little personal: in it, she played Anna May Wong, the real-life Chinese-American actress who tried to become a movie star during the first half of the 20th century. Krusiec says that Wong’s struggles with racism–both in being overlooked, and being singled out–feel very familiar. However, she also believes that “Hollywood” is a step forward–a chance for Wong, and her, to achieve the recognition they deserve.

As an experienced actress and producer, Gabrielle Union isn’t daunted by much. She was thrilled to get an invitation to be a judge on “America’s Got Talent”– a show that gives opportunities to diverse people with diverse skills. Unfortunately, it turned out to be more like an assault on her physical and mental health instead. Union is allergic to cigarette smoke, and in spite of the laws, one of the other judges reportedly smoked indoors frequently. She was told that racist comments and jokes by visiting judges would be edited out, rather than addressed. She was criticized more about her appearance than her judging, with her hairstyles deemed “too black.” After Union and another judge were dropped from the show– leaving the two white men - Union spoke out about all this. It’s since led to internal investigations, a discrimination suit against the series and reportedly even some changes on set.

Back in 2019, when Daniel Craig was getting ready to step down from the role of James Bond, people naturally wondered: Who’s next? Well, why not suave, accomplished British actor Idris Elba? A rumor began circulating that he was under consideration. Elba himself was more amused than anything… until he began to see signs of racist backlash, which he made him feel “disheartened.” He felt there would be tremendous pressure on him, because in spite of Elba’s impressive credentials, some people just could not accept the idea of a Black James Bond; social media flamed with offensive comments. However, though Elba said then that the rumors were untrue back then, more recent stories are saying that he might be in contention after all. Fans can only hope!

Lizzo has never been afraid to address bigotry. The multi-talented performer famously took to Instagram after the release of “Rumors,” featuring Cardi B., and called out the many racist and “fatphobic” comments she’d been getting; she said she intended her career to inspire other big black women, and show them that they could succeed. One of Lizzo’s boldest statements, however, was addressed to her fellow celebrities. In a 2020 post supporting Black Lives Matter, she said, “I wonder what would happen if all the big companies and celebrities who have showed support on social media came out and used their platform to let activists and protesters speak and be seen?” An unusual but compelling idea–using fame to give someone else a voice.

She’s a star, a legend, one of the world’s best-selling and most-awarded recording artists–and the spelling of her name is the direct result of racism. The maiden name of Beyonce’s mother Tina is actually B-e-y-i-n-c-e, but it was misspelled on her birth certificate with an ‘o’. When Tina’s mother - Beyonce’s grandmother - attempted to fix it, she was told, “Be happy that you’re getting a birth certificate [at all].” Beyoncé Knowles-Carter knows the importance of words herself, having used painfully stark language in calling for an end to police violence: “No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of color as less than human.” At the 2020 BET Awards, where Knowles-Carter was honored for her humanitarian efforts, she encouraged black citizens of the US to keep protesting, to vote, and to alter a fundamentally “racist and unequal system.”

Zendaya is probably most famous now for her role in the Tom Holland “Spider-Man” movies and the TV series “Euphoria”, but in 2015, she was less well-known. Still, the eighteen-year-old showed no hesitation in responding immediately, and forcefully, to a statement about her hair at the 2015 Oscars. She was wearing traditional dreadlocks, and a member of E!’s “Fashion Police” said she probably smelled like “patchouli oil . . . or weed.” Zendaya wrote an eloquent public statement explaining how offensive the comment was to her and other people of color; she mentioned several notable black Americans who wear dreadlocks, including Ava DuVernay, Terry McMillan, and members of her own family. Her purpose in wearing locs that night, Zendaya said, was to “remind people of color that our hair is good enough.”

“I feel like my entire life has been a protest,” said Viola Davis in a 2020 Vanity Fair interview. Hollywood actresses in the US reportedly earn less than half as much as their male counterparts; black actresses fare even worse. If any performer was given her due, you’d think it would be Davis; she has the coveted “Triple Crown of acting,” meaning that she’s won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony (actually she’s got 2 of the latter!). She is recognized in accolades by directors and critics, but not, she says, in pay or opportunities. She’s tired of hearing executives say she’s amazing and there’s no one else like her. “Then if there’s no one like me,” she powerfully said at a Women in the World forum, “...then you pay me what I’m worth.”