Hollywood pop stars including Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, and the Black-Eyed Peas teamed up with the left-wing Rock the Vote on Thursday for an online voter registration drive called Democracy Summer 2020, in which celebrities pushed young people to cast their ballots in November and warned them about the specters of “systemic racism,” “white supremacy,” and police brutality.
Actresses Rosario Dawson and Logan Browning (Netflix’s Dear White People) hosted the virtual event that featured guest appearances by prominent Democratic politicians, but no Republicans.
Rock the Vote is partnering with several left-wing activist groups including Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote, which is helping to drive young people to the ballot box in November and is aggressively pushing for vote by mail.
Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network also participated in Thursday’s drive, telling young people that voting will give them to power to tell America to “gets its knee off of our necks.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) put in a brief appearance to urge young voters to continue protesting in the streets while reminding them to turn out in November in order to combat the country’s “legacy of racism, discrimination, and oppression.” The senator, who for years claimed to be Native American, encouraged young voters to stand against the “racist, hateful, bigoted public polices” of the current administration.
Thank you to @ewarren for joining us tonight to deliver a message on the importance of voting! 💯#DemocracySummer2020 pic.twitter.com/ffuzU6dBai
— Rock the Vote (@RockTheVote) June 19, 2020
Many of the stars seemed to be reading from prepared talking points, repeatedly using the phrase “systemic racism” and “shocking the system” in November. They also hammered home the point that 4 million new voters will be eligible to cast their ballots in November after turning 18.
Host Logan Browning spoke about “lives lost to police brutality and white supremacy,” while saying that the November election will allow young voters to fight against “systemic racism.”
Pop star Ne-Yo urged young voters “to be the voice of the future you want to see,” while actress Dove Cameron invoked abortion rights, climate change, and the “rampant systemic racism that infects our country.” Eve also put in a brief appearance, saying “we as a country need to acknowledge the loss of black lives.”
Katy Perry performed renditions of her hit singles “Roar” and “Daisies,” wearing a free-flowing, star-spangled outfit. In an Instagram post, she urged young people to vote against “systemic racism” in November.
Watch below:
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who is dating Rosario Dawson, spoke briefly and called November “the most important election of our lifetimes.” He also called for “justice in policing,” pushing for changes in law enforcement funding.
The Black-Eyed Peas concluded the evening with a performance of their single “Mamacita” and a modified version of “Where Is the Love” that bizarrely invoked the Ku Klux Klan.
Thank you, @bep for honoring the Black lives we recently lost and the countless lives that did not make it to a hashtag. We’re asking everyone “Where is the love” in 2020. #BlackLivesMatter #DemocracySummer2020 pic.twitter.com/gEZ2QmYVkm
— Rock the Vote (@RockTheVote) June 19, 2020
Singer will.i.am encouraged young people to vote in Novemnber, saying that if they know how to use TikTok and WhatsApp, they can easily figure out how to register to vote.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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