Beyoncé Tweets Support For George Zimmerman Civil Rights Case
Beyoncé has tweeted her support for a petition asking the Department of Justice to open a Civil Rights case against George Zimmerman after his acquittal over his killing of black teen, Trayvon Martin.
The 31-year-old rarely posts on the social media site, but evidently felt strongly enough about the much debated verdict to take to Twitter.
In what is only her sixth tweet since joining the networking platform back in April, Beyoncé’s July 19 message read:
“#actnow4Trayvon… [sic]”
In addition, the mother of one’s tweet also contained a link to her own site, a message about the reasons behind the petition which is hosted by progressive group MoveOn.Org and a link to it.
The singer’s message was retweeted over 800 times within the first five minutes of posting.
At Beyonce.com, a statement about the petition said:
“We are still struggling with the issue of inequality and the lack of value for a black man’s life. Trayvon Martin’s most basic civil right, the right to live, was violated.”
“We have made so much progress and cannot allow hatred and racism to divide us. When we all join together, people of all races, we have the power to change the world we live in.”
“We must fight for Trayvon the same way the generation before us fought for Emmett Till.”
“I joined over 570,000 people in signing the petition below and hopefully you will, too.”
A declared, longtime supporter of President Barack Obama, along with husband Jay Z, Beyoncé’s tweet was posted on the same day Obama gave a public statement about Martin and the issues of race in America.
Just 30 minutes after news of Zimmerman’s acquittal by a Florida jury became known, the Houston star paid tribute to Martin with a moment of silence at her Bridgestone Arena “Mrs. Carter Show” in Nashville, Tenn. last Saturday.
“I’d like to have a moment of silence for Trayvon,” she said as the stage lights dimmed.
She then sang the chorus of the Dolly Parton written “I Will Always Love You” before segueing into her own power ballad “Halo.”
It’s likely Beyoncé will attract both support and wrath for her endorsement of the petition. Either way, the Grammy award winning entertainer has a constitutional right to express her opinion and has done so.
The singer resumed her “Mrs. Carter Show” world tour after a short break following her European leg, and played at Minnesota Saint Paul’s XL Energy Center on Thursday to a reportedly rapturous reception.
Beyoncé recently extended her tour to include concert dates in South America, Australia and New Zealand.
#actnow4Trayvon http://t.co/gcYoiSIbsd
— Beyoncé Knowles (@Beyonce) July 19, 2013
[Image via Just Jared]
