Prince was acutely aware of intolerance and spoke out against it. (Photo: Bang ShowBiz)
Prince, a Minneapolis native who rose to become a music legend, was acutely attuned to racial intolerance and expressed his feelings in a moving letter that resonates with today’s “Black Lives Matter” protests over the death of George Floyd.
The hand-written note, released by his estate, condemns intolerance. The letter was part of the late star’s personal archive, according to an Instagram post.
Prince, real name Prince Rogers Nelson, died in 2016 at the age of 57 from an accidental fentanyl drug overdose. He would have turned 62 this month.
“Nothing more ugly in the whole wide world than INTOLERANCE (between) Black, white, red, yellow, boy or girl. INTOLERANCE,” the note reads.
Prince dedicated his life to speaking out against injustice, advocating for black excellence, and spreading the message of ‘Love 4 One Another.
The estate also shared a music video for Prince’s song “Baltimore.” He wrote it following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black male who died in 2015 at the hands of the police.
The promo featured footage from “Black Lives Matter” protests that were staged in the wake of Freddie’s death, as well as other African-Americans who died while in police custody.
In 2015, Prince also headlined the “Dance Rally 4 Peace” event at his Minnesota estate, Paisley Park.
The “Diamonds and Pearls” singer spoke out about racism in the entertainment industry and insisted black people never get a “second chance.”
Speaking in 2014, he said: “It’s box office. I can’t have something like ‘The Great Gatsby’ on my hands. Didn’t you know that black people don’t get a second chance?
“It’s like Chris Rock said: Leonardo DiCaprio can make one bad movie after another, and he just keeps going. Chris Rock makes a bad movie, and he doesn’t work again. Black people aren’t allowed to make mistakes.”
Minneapolis became ground zero for the latest worldwide “Black Lives Matter” protests after Floyd was brutally killed by four police officers.
Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while the 46-year-old man was handcuffed and lying face down on the street.
Chauvin continued to press on Floyd’s neck even as he said he could not breath. He eventually lost consciousness and died with Chauvin’s knee still on his neck.
The officer was charged with second degree murder and was scheduled to be arraigned today. Three other officers who were present have been charged as accessories.
Protests erupted in more than 400 U.S. cities including major metro centers like New York, Los Angeles and Houston, Floyd’s birthplace.
Although there were sporadic incidents of looting and violence, the protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful.
“The system is broken. It’s going to take the young people to fix it this time. We need new ideas, new life,” he said.
Prince wrote “Baltimore” in 2015 following Gray’s death.
Check out the video for the song below.