Janelle Monáe powerfully showed her support for gender equality and survivors of sexual assault at the 2018 Global Citizen Festival on Saturday.
“It’s been a brutal week for a lot of us women — those who supported survivors, who’ve spoken out,” she said. “It was an especially hard week for survivors of sexual assault. I want to tell any survivor here and any survivor watching us that I hear you, I see you, and I believe you.”
Monáe then led the crowd in a call-and-response.
Take Action: Urge Denmark to Invest in Women and Girls So That #SheIsEqual
“Repeat after me,” she said. “We see you. We hear you. We support you. We believe you.”
WATCH: Janelle Monáe sends message to survivors of sexual violence:
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 29, 2018
“We hear you. We see you. We support you. We believe you.” pic.twitter.com/9QAqK7d7N1
The musician unequivocally said that society must change to give survivors of sexual assault the respect and legal support that they deserve.
Monáe also showed her support for other marginalized people.
“LGBTQI community, minorities, immigrants, disabled people, poor folks, women, and all those who have been pushed to the margins of society, my hope is that this country can work for all of us,” she said.
Monáe has a long history of supporting social justice cause. She's an outspoken advocate for Black Lives Matter, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and more. Her latest album, Dirty Computer, is an unapologetic polical manifesto that envisions a world where gender equality is achieved. You can read more about her activism here.
“We see you. We believe you.We support you” @JanelleMonae to the sexual assault survivors. #GlobalCitizenpic.twitter.com/dtfpk7eCNL
— AvaDuVernay Fans (@avaduvernayfans) September 29, 2018
The 2018 Global Citizen Festival in New York will be presented for the very first time by Citi. MSNBC and Comcast NBCUniversal will air a live simulcast of the Festival on MSNBC and MSNBC.com. The Festival will also be livestreamed on YouTube and Twitter, presented by Johnson & Johnson. Proud partners of the 2018 Global Citizen Festival include Global Citizen’s global health partner and major partner Johnson & Johnson, and major partners P&G, CHIME FOR CHANGE Founded by Gucci, Verizon, House of Mandela, iHeartMedia, and NYC Parks. Associate partners include Microsoft, Great Big Story, and One Championship.
