Beyonce sends “prayers and thoughts” to Jacob Blake and his family following the Tuesday announcement that 29-year-old is paralyzed from the waist down.
The Black is King star shared a selfie that Blake took with his children of her Instagram. Accompanying the picture, she wrote, “sending prayers and thoughts to Jacob Blake and his family.”
Sunday, August 23rd, Blake was followed by two officers as he walked back to his SUV after breaking up a fight between two women. As he was entering his car, one officer grabbed Blake’s shirt and shot him, at blank range, seven times. His three sons, ages three, five, and eight were in the car during the shooting.
The incident reignited a national outcry from celebrities, athletes, and citizens expressing their frustration over the continued mistreatment of Black people at the hands of the police.
Beyonce has never shied away using her platforms to incite change. In 2016, the superstar wrote an open letter urging officers to “stop killing us.” She posted on various social media platforms directing fans to go to her site to read the letter and find ways to help.
The singer ends the letter by providing links to ways you can fight police brutality by contacting your local politicians.
Early this summer, the grammy-winning artists took to social media to urge fans to join the fight in seeking justice for George Floyd.
“We’re broken and we’re disgusted” she says in a video posted on her Instagram. “We cannot normalize this pain. I’m not only speaking to people of color, if you are white, black, brown and anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now.”
Beyonce ended the video by directing fans to her website, once again, in which a series of links for petitions advocating justice in change were provided.
“Continue to pray for peace and compassion and healing for our country,” the singer wisely advises her fans.