John Boyega joined protesters in London on Wednesday, ultimately sharing an emotional message via megaphone about the need for all to be involved at this crucial moment in history.
"Black lives have always mattered," Boyega, who's consistently shared public messages of condemnation toward racists, told the crowd. "We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain't waiting."
Boyega addressed the pain that's been felt by so many in recent days, adding that protesting marks a "physical representation" of people's support for the people of color who have been murdered in violent acts of racism.
"Every black person in here remembers when another person reminded you that you are black … I need you to understand how painful this shit is," he said. "How painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing. And that isn't the case anymore. That is never the case anymore. We are gonna try today. We are a physical representation for our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation for our support of Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation for our support of Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation for our support of Stephen Lawrence, for [our support of] Mark Duggan."
Boyega also urged those gathering to keep things "as peaceful and as organized as possible," as detractors were hoping for chaos. "They want us to mess up, but not today," he said, later commenting that he doesn't know if he will have a career after this.
"I'm speaking to you from my heart," Boyega said. "Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this. But fuck that."
Protests have continued worldwide following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Here in the States, demonstrations have persisted thanks to the bravery of activists who continue taking a stand despite persistent aggressions from police and constant threats of full-scale militarization from Donald Trump.
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