by Sam Manzella
Racism will not be tolerated on planet Chromatica.
Lady Gaga has taken a stand against systemic racism and police brutality by leveraging her planet and putting her money where her mouth is. On Thursday, the Chromatica queen announced in a lengthy Instagram post that she is donating to 10 racial justice organizations, including Black Lives Matter, the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, and Color of Change.
“I applaud the brave citizens of this nation that are speaking up, and I support the unsupported voices of the Black community,” Gaga wrote on Instagram. “I wish for their voices to be heard loudly and clearly, and that they feel loved and amplified by allies. … I have endless compassion in my heart as we struggle as one nation to find bold and effective solutions to an insidious and systemic problem that’s plagued our country since its birth.”
Later that day, the “Stupid Love” singer unveiled her plan to hand her Instagram over to activists from the groups she’d donated to “in an effort to amplify their important voices.”
She also vowed to “regularly, in perpetuity, across all of my social media platforms, post stories, content, and otherwise lift up the voices of the countless inspiring members and groups within the Black community.”
The activism from Mother Monster come a week after the death of a George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd’s killing—and the untimely deaths of countless other Black Americans, including Tony McDade of Florida and Breonna Taylor of Kentucky—have prompted protests against racism and police brutality nationwide.
It’s hardly Gaga’s first time giving back to marginalized groups or those in need. Back in April, the Grammy winner joined a bevy of other cherished pop divas in supporting the fight against COVID-19. She helped raise a whopping $35 million for the World Health Organization (WHO), no thanks to our perpetually problematic President, who has said the U.S. will cut ties with the international organization.