Beyonce to J Cole: Reactions to the Death of George Floyd
Two days ago, the news of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer went viral, bringing light, once again, to the #BlackLivesMatter Movement. After a string of incidents highlighting extreme injustice and discrimination against the African American community in the US, celebrities from the music world have united to express their anger and encourage standing up for justice, contributing in their own ways to the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
At this time, the #BlackLivesMatter movement continues to gain traction on Twitter, trending worldwide with 3 million tweets and counting. Vocalisation and the use of massive social media platforms is important in these times, and here’s what these outspoken musicians have to say about the injustice against George Floyd and countless others who have lost their lives.
1. Beyonce, who has always been vocal about equality and fair treatment for black people in America, paid a musical tribute to George Floyd.
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2. Snoop Dogg took to Instagram to share his sadness and made a plea for equality as part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
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3. Always vocal about political issues of race, sex and more, Halsey called out all those celebrities who are staying silent after addressing the issue on Twitter. She took her protest on foot joining the protests for George Floyd on the streets.
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4. Camila Cabello took to her Instagram to express how horrified she was, and made a plea as part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, saying: “This has to stop”.
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5. Taylor Swift, who has been a lot more vocal about political issues in recent years, took to social media to pay tribute to George Floyd and called out US President Trump for facilitating this kind of injustice and racism.
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6. The poster boy for kindness and equality, Harry Styles, joined the tributes to George Floyd with the #BlackLivesMatter post on his social media. He has also contributed to bailing out wrongly held protestors.
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7. Khalid took to his social media to share many informative posts about race, inequality and disrimination in America.
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8. Lauv expressed his grief at the situation on his Twitter, questioning what it is that drives one to murder, and encouraging reflection in these scary times.
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9. Acknowledging her inability to understand the pain of the black community at this time (being a white, Swedish woman), Tove Lo shared an empathetic, sensitive post filled with support, standing against injustice amid the murder of George Floyd.
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10. Normani has always been vocal about crimes of injustice, and this time is no different. She took to her Instagram to make followers aware of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
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11. Lady Gaga has voiced her opinion on the current movement. On Twitter, she wrote: “The voices of the black community have been silenced for too long and that silence has proven deadly time and time again”.
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12. Shawn Mendes put out an emotional post on social media, urging people to understand that the need of the hour is to be anti-racist. He also promoted links to organisations working towards abolishing race discrimination.
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13. Ariana Grande has taken her voice to the streets, joining protests for George Floyd on ground, and delivering messages of the importance of voting in the upcoming local primaries.
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14. Rapper, J Cole, was spotted in the thick of the protests happening in the US. This isn’t the first time Cole has taken to the streets to be a part of the movement on ground.Â
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15. Travis Scott made a statement about the collective outrage everyone is feeling, saying: “The rage that we are feeling is from direct personal experience and the constant pain of wanting our voices to be heard”.
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By: Ahalya Narayanan
