LOS ANGELES — R&B superstar, H.E.R., visited Bruce's Beach for the first time on Tuesday. It's the land once owned by a Black family before it was taken away by the city of Manhattan Beach in the 1920's. She arrived at the landmark the same week Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd. 

"I felt like it was the beginning of change," H.E.R said. "Amanda Gorman had just said 'victory would be with George Floyd was still alive.' The fact that we're still living, 'Are we gonna be next? Who's gonna be next?' That's living in fear. We're not quite there yet."

H.E.R.'s voice may be the soundtrack of the current social justice movement. The Northern California native won a Grammy for her hit single "I Can't Breathe." Now, she is a first-time Academy Award nominee for "Fight for You."

It's nominated for best original song from the soundtrack to "Judas and the Black Messiah," a movie about the death of Black Panther Chairman, Fred Hampton, aided in part by an FBI informant. It's up for best picture and H.E.R. says the 52-year-old story parallels the unrest of today.

"Imagine if more young people knew about the story of Fred Hampton, how empowered they would be," she added.

"How much they would think their voice matters." 

At 23-years-old, she's hopeful that young people 52 years from now won't be able to relate to the inequalities people face today.

"I want it to be a stamp in time where people say 'Look at how far we've come.' For this part of history not to be covered up or told in a lighthearted or sugarcoated way," she said. 

It's why H.E.R is telling the tale through her music, and if she wins on Sunday night, she said it would be an Oscar for the cause of social justice.

"The win would absolutely acknowledge the movement," she said.