Paul McCartney has voiced his support of protests for racial justice in a new Facebook post.
Sharing a statement on the social media platform on Friday, McCartney said: “We all need to overcome racism in any form.”
“We need to learn more, listen more, talk more educate ourselves and, above all, take action,” he said, while also sharing links to Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, the NAACP, Stand Up to Racism, Campaign Zero, and Community Justice Exchange.
McCartney’s heartfelt statement also refers to a gig The Beatles were due to play in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. Unbelievably, McCartney and the band found out it was going to be a segregated audience. “It felt wrong. We said “We’re not doing that!” And the concert we did do was to their first non-segregated audience. We then made sure this was in our contract. To us it seemed liked common sense.”
He goes on to say: “I feel sick and angry that here we are almost 60 years later and the world is in shock at the horrific scenes of the senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of police racism, along with countless others that came before.”
Paul McCartney joins a long line of musicians who have been speaking out and contributing to the racial protests and Black Lives Matter movement. Most recently, Bruce Springsteen dedicated his radio show to George Floyd, and Kanye West donated $2 million to the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.
Read Paul McCartney’s full statement:
Love The Beatles?
Get the latest The Beatles news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
As we continue to see the protests and demonstrations across the world, I know many of us want to know just what we can be doing to help. None of us have all the answers and there is no quick fix but we need change. We all need to work together to overcome racism in any form. We need to learn more, listen more, talk more, educate ourselves and, above all, take action.
In 1964, the Beatles were due to play Jacksonville in the US and we found out that it was going to be to a segregated audience. It felt wrong. We said, ‘We’re not doing that!’ And the concert we did do was to their first non-segregated audience. We then made sure this was in our contract. To us it seemed like common sense.
I feel sick and angry that here we are almost 60 years later, and the world is in shock at the horrific scenes of the senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of police racism, along with the countless others that came before.
All of us here support and stand alongside all those who are protesting and raising their voices at this time. I want justice for George Floyd’s family, I want justice for all those who have died and suffered. Saying nothing is not an option.
Love Paul McCartney
Check out ‘Who Cares’ by Paul McCartney:
