Zendaya is joining the masses in raising her voice against injustice. The young star tells ESSENCE that going against the grain is nothing new.
“When I talk to people about [standing up for myself], it’s not new,” she says. “It’s not something I just started doing. I Just did it in public, and more people saw it than usual.”
Many are in an uproar over the recent police shootings that ended the lives of two African American men. “#EricGarner #SandraBland #OscarGrant #AltonSterling #WalterScott #PhilandoCastile,” Zendaya says. “To think…that’s not even the beginning of it, these are just the few we got on video….makes me sick.”
The injustice also moves Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer. “With her being my daughter, I want her to feel like he’s empowered by having an opinion on life,” the young star’s mother tells media. “I don’t want her or any of my children to feel like they have to be a part of the status quo and go along with the tide.”
Catch Zendaya’s full cover in the August issue of ESSENCE.
