Beyoncé doesn’t tweet often — today’s tweet is only her sixth — but she still has more than 10 million followers and immense influence. Her simple #ActNow4Trayvon tweet garnered more than 800 retweets within the first five minutes, but those who take the extra step and click through to her website will find another shameless comparison between Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till, along with a solicitation to join progressive group MoveOn.org and sign the group’s petition demanding that the federal government open a civil rights case against George Zimmerman. The post on Beyonce.com reads:
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.
It’s a powerful one-two punch from two of the most powerful Americans alive: first President Obama again inserted himself personally into the case, and then multimillionaire entertainer Beyoncé followed up with a call for legal action. The question is: how many of those followers will follow through?
@Beyonce Queen
— Andy (@HOTSAUCESWAGx) July 19, 2013
https://twitter.com/Harrys_Styles/status/358331978363318274
@Beyonce I LOVE YOU QUEEN
— BΔRI (@Beyonce_Miami) July 19, 2013
https://twitter.com/iLoveMyLife3223/status/358332170747658241
https://twitter.com/PhilTBH/status/358332189215166465
@Beyonce QUEEN YASS
— tew much sauce (@iLoveSlayonce) July 19, 2013
https://twitter.com/breadquanda/status/358332819124133888
@Beyonce love how the queen has tweeted
— Jack (@MrJackkb) July 19, 2013
What’s that about an acquittal? About the FBI’s failure to find any evidence that George Zimmerman was motivated by race? Tweet No. 7, maybe?
https://twitter.com/JessKardashianx/status/358333658408955904
https://twitter.com/Hollyonce/status/358333692525420544
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