The music industry is observing a social media blackout on Tuesday (02.06.20) following George Floyd’s death.
Billie Eilish, The Rolling Stones, Britney Spears and more are taking part in the online demonstration after the Minneapolis native died after a police officer who has since been sacked from the force, and has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
A widely-shared social media post reads: “Due to recent events please join us as we take an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change.
“As gatekeepers of the culture, it’s our responsibility to not only come together to celebrate the wins, but also hold each other up during a loss.
“Join us on Tuesday JUNE 2 to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community. #THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED (sic)”
Many musicians, record labels and more have voiced their support for the initiative, including Warner Music Group and Capitol Music Group.
Rihanna has pledged her support to the Blackout Tuesday movement. The 32-year-old star has taken to her Instagram account to announce that her Fenty fashion and beauty brands won’t be doing any business on Tuesday (02.06.20) in response to George Floyd’s death last week.
Britney tweeted: “My heart breaks for my friends in the black community …. and for everything going on in our country.Right now I think we all should do what we can to listen …. learn … do better …. and use our voices for good.To start I will be participating in #BlackoutTuesday tomorrow ….. I won’t be posting on social media and I ask you all to do the same.We should use the time away from our devices to focus on what we can do to make the world a better place …. for ALL of us !!!!!.
Quincy Jones admitted he found it difficult “to know what to say” because of his own experiences with racism, and backed the social media campaign.
He said: “It’s hard to know what to say because I’ve been dealing with racism my entire life.That said, it’s rearing its ugly head right now & by God, it’s time to deal with it once & for all.My team & I stand for justice. Convos will be had & action will be taken. #THESHOWMUSTBEPAUSED.”
Many celebrities in America have shared their outrage over George Floyd’s death on social media by demanding justice against the police officers responsible, urging an end to racism, making donations and more, some are leaving their homes to speak out in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
These include Nick Cannon, Halsey, J Cole, Machine Gun Kelly, Ben Affleck, Tinashe and many more.
Protests over the death of George Floyd have been seen all over the 50 states in America and other parts of the world like Syria, Italy, France and the UK. Musicians and celebrities from all over the world have also come to together to express their support for the Black lives matter movement on Social media.
READ: Justice Now! K.O.T Outraged As Police Kill Yet Another Civilian
