BAGO ipakilala ang La La Land sa 2017 Producers Guild Awards noong Sabado ng gabi, may ginawa si John Legend na “something wasn’t even supposed to do.” Bilang tugon sa executive order ni President Donald Trump na pansamantalang nagbabawal sa lahat ng mga refugee na pumasok sa U.S, nagbigay ng madamdaming talumpati ang singer-composer tungkol sa kanyang nararamdaman sa estado ng kanyang bansa.
“Now, this is a moment and we’re all worried about what’s happening in our country,” saad ng 38-anyos na star sa crowd - na kinabibilangan ng kanyang kaibigan na si Justin Timberlake – na nagsama-sama sa Beverly Hilton Hotel. “I won’t pretend that La La Land is a political film, but I do want to take a second to talk about what’s happening in our country right now. This is a film about love, about dreams and about this lovely city we call home, Los Angles, California.”
Ipinaliwanag niya ang kasaysayan ng lungsod at sa pagtanggap nito ng mga immigrant mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo.
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“Los Angeles is the home of so many immigrants, so many creative people, so many dreamers, and those of us who work in this business have the privilege of shaping how the world perceives this country we love. We are the voice, we are the face of America.
“Our America is big, it is free, and it is open to dreamers of all races, all countries, all religions. Our vision of America is directly antithetical to that of President Trump. And I want to specifically tonight reject his vision and affirm that America has to be better than that.”
Nagpatuloy ang kanyang madamdaming talumpati sa paglalarawan na muntik na siya at ang kanyang asawa na si Chrissy Teigen na hindi makapunta sa event.
“My wife and I were a little bit conflicted about being here tonight when we know what’s happening in the streets, we know what’s happening at LAX and the airports around the country, but we came here tonight,” aniya, na ang tinutukoy ay ang pro-refugee protest sa mga airport sa buong bansa. “But we also wanted to put our money where our mouth is and we made a donation to the ACLU and to other organizations who are committed to fighting for freedom in the land of the free.” (People.com)
