Ariana Grande, Halsey, Kehlani, And More Joined Protests Against Racist Violence
At the end of last week and into the weekend, thousands of Americans in cities like Minneapolis, Louisville, Columbus, Chicago, New York, and more gathered to protest police violence in light of the recent deaths of unarmed civilians George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and more. Soon, the movement had grown global, with notable demonstrations in New Zealand, England, Germany, Italy, and other European countries taking place, as well.
Meanwhile, celebrities were using their platforms to support these protests and stand in solidarity. Lady Gaga, whose new Chromatica album was released as the demonstrations were growing on Friday, tweeted on May 31, "The voices of the [B]lack community have been silenced for too long and that silence has proven deadly time and time again." Likewise, Billie Eilish shared a long note affirming her support for Black Lives Matter, while P!nk called out President Trump directly for a decidedly limp response to the growing violence: "You're a coward and a racist."
Others — like Michael B. Jordan, Fiona Apple, and so many more — ventured out to participate in local protests directly. Find some of the notable ones below.
The pop star shared on social media how she witnessed police fire rubber bullets at her and her group in Los Angeles while their "hands were up. unmoving. and they gassed and fired." On her Instagram Story, she showed off a bruise. She also shouted out fellow protestor Yungblud for rushing to help "drag wounded people to safety without even thinking twice."
Grande tweeted photos from a "hours and hours of peaceful protesting" on Saturday. "All throughout Beverly Hills and West Hollywood we chanted, people beeped and cheered along. We were passionate, we were loud, we were loving." Fan-circulated social posts also captured her holding a Black Lives Matter sign and wearing a protective face mask.
On June 2, Styles joined a Black Lives Matter protest in Los Angeles, where he was photographed holding a Black Lives Matter sign and taking a knee. A fan named Angela tweeted about her experiences seeing Styles participating, saying, "I watched this man chant with us and kneel with us and most of you do not know how much it fucking means to be Black and see this from the person you've been supporting for years!!!!!"
"LIVE. NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE," the It Was Good Until It Wasn't artist shared on Instagram, along with striking black-and-white photos. She also re-shared a primer on how to get involved with Black radical abolitionist groups after the protests.
Early Saturday morning, the Songs For You singer tweeted photos of her carrying a Black Lives Matter sign at a sit-in in Beverly Hills. She also followed that up with a hopeful message alongside photos from a protest over the weekend: "PLEASE DONT LIVE IN FEAR ♥️."
The Little Women and Dune star's Instagram Story showed him walking with protestors at the Santa Monica Pier, as captured by a diligent fan in the screenshots above.
On Saturday, the Westworld and Avengers: Endgame star shared a video of protestors kneeling and chanting, "This is our America." She also tweeted: "I can say that the #LosAngelesProtest was entirely peaceful until the @LAPDHQ arrived and escalated it."
Eagle-eyed fans captured the Dreamville cornerstone out at a protest, standing in a face mask.
The "Bloody Valentine" artist posted an image of himself holding a "Silence is Betrayal" sign and standing next to fellow protestors with signs reading "Not a Thug" and "Justice for All Black Lives." He wrote in the caption, "justice soon...❤️✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽."
Jauregui attended a protest in Miami over the weekend and reported that "we were thousands strong and peaceful as fuck and then shit got rowdy a bit after I left and people are being tear gassed, rubber bullets are flying from snipers and police are in FULL gear. Shit is real." The "50ft." singer continued with a follow-up tweet on Monday: "If you're more upset about property damage than the damage done to a community when they are legally terrorized by the police: YOU ARE DAMAGED. START HEALING."
Nearly two weeks after sending an update about work on her newest album, Lorde shared another message that included details from a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Auckland. "This ongoing systemic brutality by police is racist, it's sickening, and it's unsurprising," she wrote in the above note.
