As we wind down the year and prepare ourselves for a Thanksgiving feast, we’re all flooded with people and things we’re thankful for. The years seem to get more tumultuous as time goes on, but there are always a few shining lights that are a beacon of hope. Before you chow down of some turkey this year, check out the 4 celebrities we’re thankful for in 2017.
Trevor Noah
photo via the Daily Mississippian
In late 2014, Trevor Noah joined “The Daily Show,” the satirical news show hosted by Jon Stewart. After the latter announced his departure in 2015, Noah took on the role as host in September 2015. In November 2016, he released his New York Times bestseller, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood where he describes growing up in a post-apartheid South Africa. With many shocking news stories breaking in 2017, Trevor Noah has never shirked from the responsibility to speak up on his platform. Countless times, the host has used his platform to denounce the antics of the current president. In the wake of many sexual allegations towards the men in Hollywood and politics, he stated, “We men have been complicit in the culture that devalues women.” We can only hope that many more celebrities will use their platform to stand up for justice.
Rihanna
By [1] – Rihanna, CC BY 2.0, Wikipedia
Wild, wild, wild! It has certainly been a wild and amazing year for Rihanna! Still flying high off of the success of her eighth album Anti, and her 2017 film Valerian and the city of a Thousand Planets, Rihanna often puts down her singing hat for her philanthropic one. Back in 2012, the singer founded the Clara Lionel Foundation, an organization that raises money for impoverished communities. Not only did our beloved 44th president Barack Obama praise her in his speech at her 4th annual Diamond Ball earlier this year, but she was also named “Humanitarian of the Year” in February by the Harvard Foundation.
Even while she continues to give back, Rihanna shattered the beauty game with her new makeup line, Fenty Beauty. In an industry that seems to forget about the deeper and darker women of the world. Rihanna made sure her line was fully inclusive of even the palest and deepest skin tones.
Jordan Peele
By Peabody Awards – Keegan-Michael Key / Jordan Peele, CC BY 2.0
One of the biggest names in 2017, Jordan Peele is well known for his sketch series “Key & Peele” that he stars in alongside Keegan-Michael Key. The former was responsible for one of the biggest and most talked about films of 2017, Get Out. The film follows a young man, played by Daniel Kaluuya, who discovers his girlfriend’s family has been kidnapping black adults. After the major rise of racial tensions in 2015 and 2016, this film brought the issue of racism to the box office and it definitely delivered.
Colin Kaepernick
photo via twitter
The person we’re most thankful for this 2017 is Colin Kaepernick. While many celebrities are afraid to use their platform to create change and provoke conversation, this 30 year old quarterback did it without hesitation. Although Kaepernick was known for his skills on the field, his name grew when he began his protest of the National Anthem during games. With all the racial injustices happening in the United States, Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the National Anthem and while sitting initially, eventually chose to kneel.
After he opted out of this contract with the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick became a free agent, but it came as a surprise when no NFL team was willing to pick up the budding quarterback. While many have chosen to boycott the NFL for their blackballing of Kaepernick, he has not let this stop his activism. Early in his protest, he stated, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Since his initial protest, he has gained many followers and supporters, including that of the magazine, GQ. A few short days ago, Colin Kaepernick was revealed as their Citizen of the Year.
Can you believe 2017 is almost over? With all that’s happened this year, which celebrities are you thankful for?
