White celebrities are using their platforms to advocate for Black people as they urge President Biden to take action on slavery reparations. The stars leading the charge include Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo, Alyssa Milano, as well as comedian and bestselling author Chelsea Handler. These left-wing actor-activists want the president to use his executive power to take action on slavery reparations to help the country move forward and heal from the “original sin” of slavery.
Milano released a video in support of slavery reparations. In the video, she argued that the “pain white supremacy has caused” encourages “white supremacist ideologies.” By putting forward a plan for slavery reparations, America can start to heal from the generation damage slavery caused and move forward toward a more equal and just future.
“Silence is not an option, and it’s certainly not a cure,” Milano explains in the video. “If President Biden and Congress are serious about moving the country forward, then they have to get serious on federal action on reparations.”
Milano appeared to be reading from a script during her video because, at one point, she paused to click a screen before proceeding with her message.
“Failure to atone for the pain that white supremacy has caused and is still causing creates space for those violent white supremacist ideologies to foster and grow,” said Milano.
She went on to say that America continues to live with the effects of slavery and that Congress and the government need to be the ones to take steps to fix it.
“The reason we are still haunted by the legacy of slavery is because our leaders refuse to address it in a meaningful way. From school history books to the halls of Congress, the way that this country still lives with slavery every single day is being minimized and brushed under the rug,” Milano said.
Milano has been a vocal activist for years now. She was a major voice in the #MeToo movement and had also been speaking out during the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd.
“White supremacist extremism is on the rise, and refusing to talk about its root — slavery — will not solve anything,” Milano added. “If President Biden and Congress are serious about moving the country forward, then they have to get serious on federal action on reparations.”
Chelsea Handler joined Milano in recording a video to urge President Biden to use his executive power to move forward with slavery reparations. In Handler’s video, she said, “We built this country on the backs of black and brown people, and we still haven’t really done anything… So this is the time. This is the moment.”
Mark Ruffalo did not record a video, but he did share a tweet urging Biden to act that said:
“Let’s get this done,” the actor said on Twitter. “Let’s repair and heal the harms of our cruel past and repay those communities for what has been taken from them by racist policies, systems, and programs. This is how we heal as a nation and move forward in a good way.” He included the hashtags #ReparationsNow, #JusticeCantWait, and #HR40.
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