Janelle Monáe wants white people to ‘wake up’ amid the black lives matter movement as she covers Variety Power of Women issue
Janelle Monáe wants white people to ‘wake up’ and ‘stand up’ amid the black lives matter movement.
As protests continue on across America in the wake of the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd in Minneapolis last month, Janelle, 34, stresses the importance of white people showing their support.
She tells Variety for its annual Power of Women issue: ‘Because we need you. We need more people inside these places, inside these police precincts and these buildings, to stand up. And to be marching. And to be right there with us,’
In the spotlight: Janelle Monae is featured in the Variety Power of Women issue and talks about the Black Lives Matter Movement and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
The Moonlight star also wants to see change in the government, and is disappointed with the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘This administration, along with the president, they’re evil.’ she says of Donald Trump and the White House.
The singer is featured alongside Cate Blanchett and Patti LuPone as the publication spotlights women serving on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, in partnership with Lifetime.
‘We need you. We need more people inside these places, inside these police precincts and these buildings, to stand up. And to be marching. And to be right there with us,’ Janelle, 34, says of white people stepping up
The pandemic has affected everyone on a global scale but Janelle says she understands her privileged position means she experiences it differently from most.
‘Yes, we are in this together. But we’re not all going through the same experience financially. My situation is a lot different than a single black mom with five kids who just got laid off.’ she explains.
Meanwhile, Glee alum LuPone, 71, has a less positive outlook on the possibility of change within the US administration.
‘This country is doomed’: Patti LuPone poses for the publication as she talks politics
LuPone, seen in a recent Bravo interview, tells Variety she thinks Trump will get another term: ‘This country is doomed. I think it is a failed experiment. I don’t see us pulling ourselves out of this. I think we’re heading into either fascism or a dictatorship.’
‘This country is doomed. I think it is a failed experiment. I don’t see us pulling ourselves out of this. I think we’re heading into either fascism or a dictatorship. I think Trump will win a second term, and I think I’ll move to Ireland.’ she tells Variety.
Looking ahead to a post-pandemic Hollywood, Blanchett, 51, thinks the landscape will dramatically change.
‘We can’t be guided by fear. We have to be forward-looking, and in an intelligent way. The systems we were laboring under weren’t working for everyone before. The only opportunity in this is to fix things.’
The Carol star also expresses her disappointment with trump’s handling of the pandemic – specifically his decision to defund the World Health Organization.
‘It’s very, very shortsighted. It’s so bizarre to me that, in the wake of the pandemic, there’s still this sense of border protection rather than realizing this is a global problem that can only be solved through global connectivity.’
Power women: Cate Blanchett also speaks to the magazine for its special issue celebrating frontline workers amid the pandemic