Janelle Monay called on her white allies to pay more than "lip service" to the "Black Lives Matter" (open in new tab) movement and to bring "systemic change" to a structurally racist and anti-black society, white people must have honest conversations about racism, He stressed that direct action must be taken. 'I'm not going to indulge those who say they're my allies,' he said. She told The Hollywood Reporter's Drama Actress Roundtable (opens in new tab). 'If you want to show me that you are an ally, it will have to be rooted in an act of service.'

"This is not an exciting time for me, my colleagues, or the black community. It is not a time for us to really reflect. We have been through a lot of trauma. If America sneezes, the black community gets pneumonia." And now we have to deal with the fact that the color of our skin itself makes us a target.

"Just as we have marched, we have shouted, 'Black lives matter. During this time, I would like to ask my white friends, or those who consider themselves my or our supporters, to talk about white supremacy and why your ancestors started chattel slavery. 'Why do you talk about black lives as if black people are objects and not to be studied to the end? We have those conversations about how to dismantle systemic racism."

"That's where I am right now. This is the moment for black people to stand their ground and demand more from our system. We can't just march with you and hashtag, we have to be rooted in justice," she continued. 'We have to change the system. How we hire, how our board members look, how many black people are there, what films we subsidize, what depictions of police we subsidize.

Monáe also expressed support for the growing call among activists and protesters for police funding (open in new tab). I want that money to go to education, to the health care system," he said. We want to redistribute that money and put it where it has been oppressing us for too long."