Even as protests take over large parts of Los Angeles, Vanessa Brya nt is pleased that many of the tributes to her late husband have remained untouched. In a series of photos posted to her Instagram story, Vanessa captured images of the murals of her late husband and daughter Gianna that are scattered throughout the city, according to People .
Kobe and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in January of this year. Now, as protesters around the country and in Los Angeles gather in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, there has been some violence and property damage. Thankfully for Vanessa, that damage has not impacted the tributes to Kobe. Vanessa captioned each of her posts with a short message, suggesting that she was grateful that the murals remained intact.
Even as she posted images of her late husband, Vanessa also took the time to remember Kobe’s efforts to raise awareness of police brutality while he was alive. In an Instagram post on Sunday, she wrote about the “I can’t breathe,” shirt that Kobe wore in 2014. At the time, the shirt was a reference to Eric Garner, another black man who was killed while in police custody after an officer put his arm around Garner’s neck. Floyd said the exact same thing as he was being held down by police in Minneapolis.
In the caption to the post, she wrote that Kobe had worn the shirt years ago, but she is once again forced to confront the issue of police violence against black Americans. Vanessa said that life was fragile and that there should be more focus on the qualities that we all share as people.
She continued, asking her followers to “drive out hate” and be an example of the kind of change they want to see in the world. Vanessa also said that protesters should not loot, and should instead register to vote in order to make change happen.
Vanessa is far from the only public figure to make a statement endorsing the Black Lives Matter movement on social media. Everyone from Jimmy Kimmel to Beyoncé has weighed in on the protests, and many celebrities have attended marches around the country as well. Some, like Cole Sprouse and John Cusack, have even had encounters with the police over the course of their time protesting. Other celebrities have spotlighted activist causes and donated their own money to support bail funds and other organizations related to the Black Lives Matter movement.