On September 10, Thursday, Chloe X Halle performed the national anthem at the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of the 2020 NFL Kickoff. There, they drew attention to the shirts they were wearing.
The video shows the two girls singing in an empty football field. As the cameras panned over to see them, fans quickly spotted that the duo was wearing George Floyd and Breonna Taylor shirts. Chloe was wearing the Breonna Taylor shirt that says "Say Her Name", while Halle was wearing the George Floyd shirt that says "Rest in Peace".
.@ChloeXHalle kick off the football season wearing T-shirts honoring the lives of #GeorgeFloyd & #BreonnaTaylor. pic.twitter.com/1L68NKLMZ7 — Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 11, 2020
Fans believe the two used their platform to honor the two African-Americans who were killed unjustly at the hands of policemen, as well as showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Notably, Alicia Keys also performed at the 2020 NFL Kickoffs, where she performed her new song "Love Looks Better". During her performance, clips from a Black Lives Matter protest played behind her. At the end of her performance, the screen flashes the word "Vote", urging Americans across the country to participate in the upcoming presidential elections.
The NFL and Alicia Keys have launched a $1 billion funds for Black businesses and communities. "Our goal is to empower Black America through investing in Black business, Black investors, institutions, entrepreneurs, schools, and banks in a way to create sustainable solutions," said Keys.
George Floyd was murdered by white police office Derek Chauvin back on May 25, 2020. At the time, he was under arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. During the arrest, Floyd was handcuffed and was lying on the ground face down while Chavin knelt of Floyd's neck for several minutes. Floyd was recorded begging for his life, telling the cops that he couldn't breathe. Fellow cops J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane further restrained Floyd, while officer Tou Thao prevented bystanders from intervening. Chauvin did not remove his knee until told by medics to do so, which at that point, Floyd was already motionless and had no pulse.
Floyd's death triggered protests against police brutality, police racism, and lack of police accountability. It also triggered the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement across the globe.
Breonna Taylor was short by Louisville Metro Police Department officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankinson, and Myles Cosgros on March 13, 2020, shortly after midnight. The officers entered her apartment out-of-uniform, claiming they had a no-knock search warrant. They allegedly entered Taylor's home without knocking and without announcing themselves as police officers, though some police accounts claim they did knock and announce themselves before forcing entry. A scuffle that led to gunfire occurred between the officers and Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, and Walker had believed the officers were introducers. During the scuffle, Taylor was fatally shot eight times. According to a New York Times investigation, the officers did knock before entering, but they must not have heard as they were asleep.
To learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement, please click here.
