Over the past week, several celebs have been speaking out about the Black Lives Matter movement.
This includes everyone from Beyoncé to Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga to Ariana Grande.
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One of the most recent celebs to take a stand is country singer, Kacey Musgraves.
She took to Twitter on June 1, vowing to “not be a bystander” in the fight against racism.
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Celebs are taking a stand.
Over the past week, many of them have been speaking out about the Black Lives Matter movement.
As you’ve probably already heard — or seen from the protests — outrage sparked last week over the tragic death of George Floyd.
A now-viral video captured the the black security guard in police custody when police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck.
Despite pleading with the officer that he couldn’t breathe and crying out for his mom, the officer didn’t release his force.
Eight minutes and forty-six seconds later, Floyd was dead.
While all four Minneapolis officers involved were fired and Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder, many believe that justice has yet to be served.
This has led to protests all over the United States, along with many celebs using their platforms to advocate for racial equality.
One of the first to do so was Beyoncé.
The iconic singer posted a video on Instagram, urging people to sign petitions seeking justice.
“We need justice for George Floyd,” she said in the video.
“We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight. We’re broken and we’re disgusted, we cannot normalise this pain.”
“No more senseless killings of human beings. No more seeing people of colour as less than human. We can no longer look away,” she continued.
In addition to participating in peaceful protests over the weekend, Ariana Grande encouraged her followers on Twitter to get involved in the fight.
“Please keep signing these petitions, making donations, having conversations with family and friends about it, reading and sharing links and resources…” she wrote.
“Gentle reminder that this doesn’t end today or tomorrow or after you post about it once #blacklivesmatter.”
Michelle Obama posted a powerful statement on the current events.
“It’s up to all of us – Black, white, everyone – no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out,” the former First Lady wrote.
Another one of the many celebs to get involved is Kacey Musgraves.
The Grammy award-winning singer took to Twitter on Monday to share a powerful message with her followers.
“It’s been hard to find the words to adequately convey how outraged and sad I am,” she began.
“WHITE PEOPLE HAVE HAD IT SO [EXPLETIVE] WRONG SINCE THE BEGINNING.”
The singer then vowed to take swift action against this racial injustice.
“And I will do whatever I can I help break the DISGUSTING, damaging cycle racism and systemic privilege causes.”
“I will not be a bystander,” she powerfully concluded.
To help her followers educate themselves on these important matters, she shared a list of resources.
Each of the items on her list helps fans do their part to catalyze change.
While Kacey’s heart was clearly in the right place, the reaction to her post so far has been mixed.
One criticized her for taking days to post something .
They then clarified that, while they know the singer has been posting different things on her Instagram Stories, they take issue with her saying that “it’s been hard to find the words.”
This ended up being the central issue with Kacey’s post:
One even criticized her for being a hypocrite:
“it’s been hard to find the words” sounds to me like a bystander thing to say.”
“stop saying it’s hard to find the words because it’s really [expletive] not,” another added.
One fan even preferred that the singer stay non-politicial.
The reception to Kacey’s post hasn’t been all negative . There were some fans who thanked the singer for using her platform to speak out about these issues.
“nashville is seeing you, and thank you for speaking up from one of the most traditionally silent corners of the music industry when these issues are unfolding right in front of everyone’s eyes,” this fan wrote .
In addition to her tweet, Kacey has gotten involved in the fight against racism in other ways.
On Tuesday, June 2, she joined the social media “blackout” to stand in solidarity with protesters.
Universal Music Group Nashville, the studio that represents Musgraves, spoke out about their involvement in the “Black Out Tuesday” on Monday.
“We must use our voices to confront and protest the injustice that surrounds all of us. Universal Music Group Nashville is committed to identifying challenging, and defeating the systemic root of inequality everywhere,” they shared.
“We stand together with our black community against all forms of racism, bigotry and violence.”
