VMAs 2017: Paris Jackson denounces ‘Nazi white supremacist jerks’ in speech
'If we were to all put our voices together, imagine the difference we would make'
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Your support makes all the difference.With the VMAs offering such a platform of communication to the next generation, to those who can effect real change - there was no way things weren't going to get political.
Paris Jackson was one of those individuals who used her voice for good; taking to the stage to present the award for Best Pop Music Video, the model and actress began things with a rousing speech to the crowd, speaking out against the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville which resulted in Heather Heyer's death.
Before that, however, Jackson slipped in a subtle dig at Donald Trump. "I'm seeing a lot of love and light here tonight," she began. "A lot of diversity and a lot of potential power. If we were to all put our voices together, imagine the difference we would make. If we were to all stand up, united, as one, our impact — it would be Huge. Believe me. Huge."
The "huge", of course, was pronounced in Trump's trademark "yuuuge" style.
"That's not fake news," she continued. "So let's leave here tonight remembering that we must show these Nazi, white supremacists jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country that a nation, with liberty as our slogan, has zero tolerance for their violence, their hatred and their discrimination. We must resist."
As the daughter of late pop icon Michael Jackson, Paris, 19, recently revealed to Teen Vogue that activism has helped her reckon with her life in the public eye.
"I honestly used to have no motivation whatsoever to be in the public eye; it scared me," she stated. "I’ve seen what it can do to people, [and] plenty get hurt. But after a long time of thinking, I started to really see the kind of impact I already have on people, how I was born with a platform, and I didn’t want to waste it."
"There are so many people who work their entire lives to create a platform and mine was just handed to me.... Why not use it for something important?"
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