Ellen DeGeneres spoke out about the outrage sparked by the murder of unarmed black man George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer, pleading for “fairness” and “justice for all.”
The message came days after she deleted a tweet about racial injustice after being called hypocritical by followers.
“I haven’t spoken directly because I don’t know what to say,” said Ellen. “I am so sad, and I am so angry. I know I’m not going to say the right thing, I know there are going to be a lot of people who are in disagreement with what I say, but I have a platform and I have a voice and I have always stood for equality.”
“I’ve always wanted to be the voice for people who felt like they didn’t have a voice, because I know what that feels like,” Ellen continued. “And maybe you don’t agree with how it’s coming out, but you have to understand it, and then we can heal it. I’m just so sorry that it’s come to this. I really don’t know what to say other than this has gone on way, way, way too long. People have got away with murder. That’s what’s happening. We’ve got to see fairness and justice for all, because right now this is not a fair world, not at all.”
Added Ellen: “I don’t know if it will ever be completely fair but we have a long way to go to even be close. … If you don’t understand this, then you have never felt like you weren’t heard or you weren’t equal. But if you’ve ever felt that, magnify it, and see what’s happening. And let’s send a whole bunch of love out there and try to find some peace and communication in this.”
Ellen’s tweet earlier in the week was called hypocritical by followers who cited her friendship with George W. Bush, her lack of specificity regarding the black community by referring to “people of color” in the tweet, and her lack of an action item.
