Selena Gomez has announced plans to help amplify the Black Lives Matter movement - using her Instagram following of 179 million.
The singer and actress initially posted about the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement over the weekend, declaring, “We all need to do better and not sit in silence as this injustice continues.”
In the days since, Gomez has shared that one way she plans to take action is by lending her Instagram account to black leaders and activists.
“I have been struggling to know the right things to say to get the word out about this important moment in history,” Gomez wrote on Instagram.
“After thinking about how best to use my social media, I decided that we all need to hear more from Black voices. Over the next few days, I will be highlighting influential leaders and giving them a chance to take over my Instagram so that they can speak directly to all of us. We all have an obligation to do better and we can start by listening with an open heart and mind.”
The 27-year-old announced that her first Instagram takeover will be held by Black Lives Matter co-founder, Alicia Garza. Additionally, Gomez has shared that her upcoming beauty brand, Rare Beauty, has donated to The Bail Project and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Other celebrities have similarly been using their massive social media following as a way to provide a larger platform to leaders and activists in the black community. Riverdale actress, Lili Reinhart, hosted an Instagram Live discussion on her account earlier this week with 19-year-old activist, Kenidra R. Woods, and announced plans for more guest speakers, too.
And on June 4, Lady Gaga shared her plans to do the same.
“Starting tomorrow, I’m giving over my Instagram account to each of the organizations I’ve recently donated to, in an effort to amplify their important voices,” she wrote, having previously shared that she donated to organizations that included the Loveland Foundation, Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero and Color of Change.
