It felt like déjà vu. A procession of famous faces stared soulfully into their phones and, by extension, the eyes of some unseen plebe. Front-facing camera after front-facing camera offered a different version of the same message: “I take responsibility.” Those taking responsibility included, among others, Sarah Paulson, Debra Messing, Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux, Bryce Dallas Howard, Stanley Tucci, and Mark Duplass. The two-minute clip, posted to social media on June 11, prompted plenty of derision, but also bafflement. In the context of the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests what does “taking responsibility” even mean? Why were these celebrities, in particular, doing it so publicly? Most of all: Weren’t we just here?

“I Take Responsibility” is different from “Imagine,” the Gal Gadot–led John Lennon cover that received a universal “no thanks” in March, the early days of pandemic-induced isolation. The former has the imprimatur of no less an authority than the NAACP, which partnered with the stars in the clip to promote a campaign aimed at engaging non-Black people in anti-racism. To emphasize its sobriety, the video is shot in black-and-white. And every participant is posed against a nondescript background—no opulent kitchens or expansive backyards in sight.

[Read Alison Herman's examination of how our perceptions of celebrities have changed, specifically over the past few months.]