Ahead of the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington on Friday (Aug. 28), Diddy and CÎROC partnered with celebrities to amplify Black voices on billboards across the U.S.
The CÎROC billboards appeared in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, and New York City, spreading messages of resilience from rapper Rapsody, Insecure actress and comedian Amanda Seales, Big Mouth actor and writer Brandon Kyle Goodman, actor Lance Gross, cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux, activist and author Kimberly L. Jones and activist and entrepreneur Alencia Johnson.
“Black Unity. Black Love. Black Excellence. We Are Kings And Queens. We Are More Powerful Together,” Diddy said in a press statement about his latest effort.
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The billboards popped up ahead of the March on Washington 2020, which marks the continuous fight for racial justice and equality at the nation’s capital, where Martin Luther King, Jr. once stood on Aug. 28, 1963 to deliver his historic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Additionally, CÎROC made more strides supporting the Black community by making a contribution to Black Girl Ventures Foundation, which provides access to social and financial capital for Black & Brown woman-identifying founders and their economic advancement through entrepreneurship. Its goal aligns with the original intention of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that advocated for the civil and economic rights for African Americans.
Read the celebrities’ empowering messages below:
Amanda Seales: “Pride in our power. Strength in our stride. You can attempt to imitate, but soul you cannot buy.”
Brandon Kyle Goodman: “We are showing up. We are fighting. For our freedom. For our joy. For each other. We are showing up. Bet on that.”
Rapsody: “We must not allow the ills of the world to dull our joy, for that is the fuel that keeps our fire burning!”
Lance Gross: “As a people there’s nothing we can’t do. We are strong individually, but together unstoppable. It’s important to keep up our fight.”
#OfficialCIROCPartner Time to speak up and amplify our voices! We have to make a change together. I’ve partnered with CÎROC to share a message of resilience to help empower our community. Speak out and let’s make a change – create your own signs and tag #CIROCStands @CIROC! pic.twitter.com/5tbzhhV21V
— Lance Gross (@LanceGross) August 28, 2020
Jamilah Lemieux: “Black joy is essential to our fight for freedom.”
Kimberly L. Jones: “Black people want equality. Not revenge.”
Alencia Johnson: “On the road to justice and freedom, let Black joy be part of the resistance.”