Your lifestyle specialist Kenny Burns is no stranger to using his platform to raise awareness and give back to his community. On Thursday, he sat down for an in-depth conversation with Lena Waithe. The actress is best known for her work in the film industry, starring in Netflix show Master of None, producing her own Showtime show The Chi, and of course, writing and producing Queen & Slim. Regardless of her endeavor, she puts on for the black community.
The hour-long Instagram Live session began with Burns playing Buddy’s “Black,” before reading a poem to Lena. Lena admitted that Burns had been the first one she’s sat down with to speak with, not that traditional media hasn’t been calling.
“I want to be aware of who I’m walking with and why you’re walking,” Lena said in regards to protesters’ intentions.
With the help of her Hillman Grad initiative, Lena took $25,000 out of her account to put into the “revolution that’s happening right now,” in order to support some of the protesters holding it down on the frontline who may be struggling to pay bills right now.
Right now, the funds available currently sit at $52,000. There were so many transactions happening that she had to work with Venmo and CashApp to resolve issues with the accounts. Venmo and CashApp froze some of the accounts temporarily due to the high volume.
Protesters are not asking for anything outrageous at all. For example, one person asked for gas money to be able to get back and forth, while another asked for help with rent.
“This country was never built for us to feel free,” Lena said.
Unity is an issue, and there’s a need to come together and talk to each other in order to affect change.
Kenny used the example of not taking the bus for 18 months after Rosa Parks was jailed for not giving up her seat to a white man in 1955, saying that today’s community doesn’t know the struggle of their ancestors — but has social media as a faster, easier, direct means to spread the word and get the message out.
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