Alicia Keys, T.I. & Others Encourage Biden Administration To Address Racial Injustice

In a chilling campaign video, select artists including Alicia Keys call out the incoming administration in hopes of addressing racial injustice.

Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, T.I., and other artists are using their voices to call attention to the violent killings of African Americans in the U.S. In a new video released by the Black Music Coalition, they were joined by musicians and rappers aiming to encourage the Biden-Harris administration to launch a racial justice initiative in its first 100 days. 

The campaign video is entitled “17 More Ways You Could Be Killed If You Are Black In America.” There’s a chilling energy throughout it and it features appearances by A$AP Ferg, Offset, Khalid, Summer Walker, Quavo, Rapsody, Vic Mensa, Ty Dolla $ign, and more. As each of the artists appears in the clip they state the name of an individual who lost their lives in the past few years. Additionally, the police’s reasoning behind their killing is mentioned. For example, Asian Doll states, “Sleeping in your home, Dominique Clayton.” Another emotional moment features 070 Shake declaring, “Suffering from a mental illness, Walter Wallace Jr.”

In a statement, Keys notes the importance of continuing to shed a light on these deaths which are not isolated incidents. “I can’t believe that just four and a half years after we released '23 Ways You Could Be Killed If You Are Black in America,' we’re here to share '17 More Ways' Black lives have been lost to racism,” the statement reads. "2020 will never be forgotten as a year of awakening for many. More than 1,000 people were killed by police violence, with Black people accounting for a disproportionate amount of those deaths."

The video also highlights that last June, Rep. Barbara Lee introduced legislation that calls for the creation of a commission that addresses racial injustice and healing. The clip is backed by the #breathewithme Revolution and the Black Music Coalition.

Watch the campaign video up top.