Kendrick Lamar’s spark of a single, “Alright,” has become an official pick-me-up anthem for black people. In a powerful moment on Sunday, students at a protest near Cleveland State University used it as a rallying cry against police brutality.
In the video above, a crowd of young people who originally gathered for a Black Lives Matter rally starts chanting the chorus to Kendrick’s banger (“We gon’ be alright!”) while marching in the streets. This reportedly happened after a 14-year-old boy was arrested for public intoxication and cops later began pepper spraying the crowd.
According to ABC:
One of the conference attendees said people locked arms, blocked the street near the police cruiser and chanted. Police said the officer resorted to pepper spray when the crowd wouldn’t allow a cruiser with a suspect in the back seat leave the scene.
The description for the video posted to YouTube reads:
“Today after the ending of the convening as everyone was walking down the street CPD arrested a 14 yr old. While everyone was demanding his release an officer pepper sprayed the crowd and further escalated the situation. In unity and solidarity everyone was demanding that he be released, and we stayed and protested until they released him!”
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As black liberation anthems go, “Alright” is it.
Contact the author at clover@jezebel.com.
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