Thirteen-year-old Keedron Bryant went viral this past May with his amazing voice in a video of himself singing “I Just Wanna Live,” a song written as a response to the death of George Floyd, to help bring about change, in hopes to end violence against Black people.
Now the talented teenager is sharing his thoughts with People Magazine, telling the popular news outlet that not only does he have “hope[s] [that] violence toward Black people changes,” but also that, “[he] want[s] to live without fear.”
“My parents always tell me and my sister, ‘You have to know that you’re Black and when you go out into the world, make sure you respect people and treat everybody how you would want to be treated,'” Bryant said in the interview. “They want us to have knowledge so we’re not clueless and confused when we get pulled over by a police officer when we’re older. To think I’m a Black male going out into the streets makes me afraid, but I always try to keep my faith in God and that he’ll protect me.”
The video garnered millions of views. Celebrities such as Janet Jackson, LeBron James, and former President Barack Obama congratulated Bryant for his powerful message through music, as the song has become the unofficial anthem for the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I feel really grateful to be a part of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Bryant says. “Little steps matter, and I hope racial profiling and violence towards Black people changes. I want to live without fear.”
