Remember Chaka Khan, the artist whose song “I Feel For You” was a big hit in 1984. Khan has now cut a song about Trayvon Martin featuring backup vocals by celebrities including Angela Bassett:
A press release announcing the video (which Khan is calling a PSA) was posted on Khan’s blog:
Fed up with news reports about the tragic Martin case, 10-time Grammy winner Khan said she decided to “not just complain about it, but to do something about it.” Within 48 hours, she brought together several entertainment industry friends and Los Angeles community residents to make a statement for justice using a medium she knows well – a music video in the form of a PSA.
Khan said she was inspired as the mother of two children, including a son, to do something to make a difference. “It’s up to us as parents and as a community to come together to make a change,” said Khan.
“I am a mother, and I’m also a mother with a voice. It’s time for those of us who have a voice to speak out for life, for love and for justice using the same media we’ve used throughout our careers. Now is the time to use media for the benefit of humanity as a whole. As purveyors of content and media, we need to use our voices to stop injustice at the sight of its origin. We have to be the voice for the voiceless, for the Trayvon Martins of this world,” she said.
The press release includes this list of celebrities who participated in the song/PSA project:
Other celebrities who participated include actors Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Sharon Leal, DeRay Davis, Keke Palmer, Garcelle Beauvois, Eva Pigford, Terry Crews and his wife and reality television star Rebecca Crews; model Toccara, music artists Kelly Price, Eric Benet, Kenny Lattimore, Veronika, Luke James, Stacy Francis, actor/comedian Chris Spencer, Billie Woodruff and many others.
George Zimmerman is mentioned just twice in the first paragraph of the press release:
R&B legend Chaka Khan announced today the release of a public service announcement (PSA) in support of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old youth who was gunned down in Sanford, Fla., Feb. 26, one month ago today, by George Zimmerman, who was never arrested and remains free. Zimmerman has said Martin looked suspicious because he was wearing a hooded jacket, or hoodie.
The facts surrounding the shooting are still under investigation by state and federal law enforcement. Zimmerman has claimed he was attacked by Martin, and that he shot him in self-defense.
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