Photo: Janelle Monáe performing at the Austin Music Hall in 2009 [Photo by Seher Sikandar for rehes creative, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org]
(CNN)Before introducing Kesha’s knockout performance at the Grammys, Janelle Monae delivered an empowering message of her own about the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up campaign.
Below is a transcript of her remarks in full:
“Tonight, I am proud to stand in solidarity as not just an artist but a young woman with my fellow sisters in this room who make up the music industry. Artists, writers, assistants, publicists, CEOs, producers, engineers, and women from all sectors of the business. We are also daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, and human beings. We come in peace, but we mean business. And to those who would dare try and silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s up. We say time’s up for pay inequality, time’s up for discrimination, time’s up for harassment of any kind, and time’s up for the abuse of power. Because, you see, it’s not just going on in Hollywood, it’s not just going on in Washington — it’s right here in our industry as well. And just as we have the power to shake culture, we also have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us well. So let’s work together, women and men, as a united music industry, committed to creating more safe work environments, equal pay and access for all women.”
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/28/entertainment/janelle-monae-grammy-speech/index.html
Photo: Janelle Monáe performing at the Austin Music Hall in 2009 [Photo by Seher Sikandar for rehes creative, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7481104]