On Wednesday, Kimye made a 16-year-old teen's birthday that much more special. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West met Alton Sterling's son in Los Angeles at the rapper's concert. Cameron Sterling's lawyer, Justin Bamberg, shared a photo of Cameron with the celebrity couple on Twitter and wrote alongside it, "Shoutout to @kanyewest & @KimKardashian for showing 16th bday love last night to my client #CameronSterling, eldest son of #AltonSterling." As thrilling as it would be to meet Kardashian and West for your birthday, not to mention any celebrity on your special day, there is so much more to this introduction than Cameron getting to meet two huge celebs.
Granted, I'm sure Cameron considers this an amazing present and a moment that he'll never forget. However, it is more significant, mainly due to the fact that both Kardashian and West spoke out about his father's death, in addition to supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. In July, Alton was shot and killed by police outside a Baton Rouge, Louisiana convenience store, where he was selling CDs, after police received a call claiming that he had threatened someone with a gun. Police say he was armed during their altercation.
After Alton's death, West simply tweeted, "Alton Sterling," with a link to a video of the shooting. He also referenced Black Lives Matter in "Freestyle 4," a song on his album The Life of Pablo. "Driving in the same car that they killed 'Pac in," he raps. "Hands up, we're just doing what the cops taught us. Hands up, hands up, then the cops shot us."
As for Kardashian, she wrote a July blog post shared on her official website discussing the importance of Black Lives Matter and why "hashtags are not enough." She wrote,
This week we watched Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two innocent black men, get senselessly murdered by police officers. Like a lot of you guys, I watched the videos, and was appalled and completely heartbroken. I was left speechless, angry and numb. I want my children to grow up knowing that their lives matter. I do not ever want to have to teach my son to be scared of the police, or tell him that he has to watch his back because the people we are told to trust — the people who "protect and serve" — may not be protecting and serving him because of the color of his skin.
She continued,
The last thing we need is to fuel anger with more hate or violence, especially toward the many incredible police officers who risk their lives every single day to protect our families and communities. We must peacefully use the power of our voices and the strength of our numbers to demand changes in the judicial system so that brutality doesn't ever go unpunished. It is our responsibility as Americans and as parents to create a safe future for our children. We must do something NOW. We must speak up until we are heard and real, effective changes are made.
That is one powerful post and one I'm sure that means a lot to Cameron, in addition to West's support. It is unimaginable what he has felt and faced since the death of his father, so to meet two individuals who didn't remain silent after his father was fatally shot by police, it probably means a lot to him, and makes meeting Kimye on his 16th birthday that much more special.
