As protesters around the world demand justice for George Floyd, Alan Sheppard shares his personal response to the challenges being faced by the world with the release of his song “Black Lives Matter More Than This”:

“For decades many of my songs tell that we are all connected in love and not separated by anything including race, nation and gender.

I believe in freedom from oppression for citizens of the world whoever they may be. I am grateful as a musical artist to be able to express through song some of my personal responses to what I see happening in the world such as #blacklivesmatter and #icantbreathe and express #solidarity to women, men and children who are going through suffering. Musicians such as #eltonjohn and the #iheartradio sessions demonstrate the power of song as one aspect of ‘creative altruism’ that Martin Luther King spoke of.

This song is a heartfelt response to the current challenges facing the world. It sang itself through me as I was sleeping and I got up and recorded it there and then as I knew there must be a message in it that I should share with you all.

I pray that we all unite and ‘rise up’ motivated by #martinlutherking’s belief in the #poweroflove to create a better world for us all.”