Making an impact. Jay-Z came through in a major way for the legal team representing Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man who was shot while jogging in Georgia earlier this year.
“Court hearing in Brunswick, Georgia this morning. No flights to take us there last night,” Blerim Elmazi, one of the attorney’s for Arbery, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, June 4. “@leemerrittesq and I spent hours trying to find flights or cars. At 1 am we started losing hope till we got a call from Jay Z’s people at Roc Nation who chartered a flight for us to attend this hearing with the family of Ahmaud Arbery. Thankful for their support.”
The lawyer and his partner, S. Lee Merritt, stood beside a private plane holding up red shirts with “Legal Observer” on the front. Merritt shared a handful of other photos of their chartered flight, thanking the rapper, 50, for making it possible for their team “to stand with [their] client and righteous protestors for justice.”
Earlier this month, the “Empire State of Mind” rapper used his platform to call for change after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “After our very earnest conversation, thank you to Governor Walz for doing what’s right and calling in Attorney General Keith Ellison to take over the George Floyd case,” the Grammy winner wrote via Instagram shortly after speaking with elected officials in Minnesota to demand justice for victims of police brutality. “This is just a first step. I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have.”
While officer Derek Chauvin was charged with unintentional second-degree murder — and the remaining three MPD officers were later charged with aiding and abetting in Floyd’s death — celebrities and activists nationwide aren’t ready to give up the fight.
“I prevail on every politician, prosecutor and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right,” Jay-Z said after his phone call with the governor. “Have the courage to look at us as humans, dads, brothers, sisters and mothers in pain and look at yourselves.”
As the rapper continues to speak up on behalf of his community, his wife, Beyoncé, also encouraged those protesting to keep their spirits high.
“The world came together for George Floyd,” she wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post on Thursday. “We know there’s a long road ahead. Let’s remain aligned and focused in our call for real justice.”
