Here Are 3 Things You Can Do Now To Stop Racial Injustice, As Told By Beyoncé
Beyoncé has spoken out against the police killings this week of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling.
Both men were shot and killed by police. Sterling was killed when the cops were called for a man illegally selling CDs. He was being held by police officers when he was shot.
Castile was killed when a cop pulled him over for a busted taillight. When he was reaching for his ID, an officer shot him.
Beyoncé has been increasingly outspoken on issues of racial violence. You can see that clearly enough in her 2016 hit "Formation" as well as the video and Super Bowl performance for it, which all feature references of support for black communities.
Her "Lemonade" album video was, similarly, partially a tribute to the black community. The video featured the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
So it makes sense that Beyoncé would speak out this week with the killings of Castile and Sterling.
She published a creed on her website calling people to action. Beyoncé wrote,
We're going to stand up as a community and fight against anyone who believes that murder or any violent action by those who are sworn to protect us should consistently go unpunished. These robberies of lives make us feel helpless and hopeless but we have to believe that we are fighting for the rights of the next generation, for the next young men and women who believe in good.
Beyoncé went on to say,
We all have the power to channel our anger and frustration into action. We must use our voices to contact the politicians and legislators in our districts and demand social and judicial changes.
At the bottom of Beyoncé's statement, there are three links. The links invite you to contact your own Congressman or Congresswoman and voice protest for Sterling and/or Castile. The links for Sterling and Castile invite you to contact politicians in their home states of Louisiana and Minnesota, respectively.
You heard the queen. Let's get in formation.
Citations: Beyoncé
