Beyoncé, Drake And Solange Speak Out Against Police Shootings And Call For Action
High profile artists are taking a stand against police violence.
The killing of two black men in the United States by police officers over the past two days has sparked a strong response from a number of artists, including Beyoncé, Drake and Solange. The #BlackLiveMatters movement began as a protest against the killing of 17-year old Trayvon Martin in 2013 and has grown over the past 12 months, following repeated police shootings. It has received support from a number of prominent musicians including Nas, Nelly and Talib Kweli, who all attended protests public rallies against police violence last year.
In response to the latest police shootings Beyoncé directed her followers on Instagram to visit her website and “Turn our anger into action.”
A statement posted on her website declared “We are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities” and called on the community to “Demand that they stop killing us”. She called on the public to contact their local politicians and demand “social and judicial changes”.
An excerpt from Beyoncé’s website
Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed visual album Lemonade, released earlier this year, contained numerous references to the #BlackLivesMatter movement and featured the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Martin Brown, two young black men killed by police. In February the music streaming service Tidal, owned by Beyoncé’s husband Jay-Z, announced it was donating $1.5 million to organisations supporting #BlackLivesMatter.
Drake’s outspoken stance on this week’s police shootings comes after he was was criticised for “staying silent” on police violence targeting black communities last year. In a message posted to this Instagram yesterday, Drake said that the video of Alton Sterling being shot by police “Left me feeling disheartened, emotional and truly scared”. He added, “It’s impossible to ignore that the relationship between black and brown communities and law enforcement remains as strained as it was decades ago.”
?? A photo posted by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on
Drake’s comments have been regarded by some US commentators as his “crucial political awakening”. Other artists have posted their own statements of solidarity with the victims of police violence. Solange posted a cover of Syreeta’s Black Maybe with note saying “Been singing Syreeta’s ‘Black Maybe’ over and over again trying to comfort my weary heart… But what is comfort when the images of slain black bodies left to bleed, is sketched into your being…over and over again.”
President Barack Obama issued a statement this morning, declaring “What’s clear is that these fatal shootings are not isolated incidents. They are symptomatic of the broader challenges within our criminal justice system.” As the US continues to grapple with the issue of police violence, the voices of powerful artists are serving as a powerful outlet for the frustrations and pain felt by millions.