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Beyoncé is here with a powerful message. Get information to get the information. Her message is simple, “stop shooting us.” If the law enforcement community has issues with this message, it should be seen as a sign that they want to continue killing black people. If so, then they’re evil and racist. Saying this does not make me anti-police; it makes me someone who expects policemen and policewomen to respect the lives of black people just like anyone else. Racists are the first to cry racism when they’re called out.
This is confirmation for one to be a racist, one also has to be a bigot who pretends to be right by ignoring critical issues. No one should be free to commit murder and then expect to go free and make a big deal if and when they or one of their own gets murdered. This is what the Black Panthers believed. If they want the opposite, one must think they are a mighty shitbag. And the shame is that this message comes from an “Independent Woman” as romantic R&B becomes extinct. The after-effects of feminism, women’s empowerment, are maintained in a delicate balance between independence and the proclamation of love. This is to feminists as “stop killing black people” is to racists. This is a message of accountability.
I’ve been saying this for years. Entertainers have a powerful voice. We lead the culture in fashion and slang: lifestyle and trends. We control a reliable revenue stream and generate our opportunities. Once we “do the right things,” no protest can have our plugs pulled. As entertainers, we are responsible for speaking on social, cultural, and political issues. Right now, we have racists who think they should be free to inflict the suffering of others by murdering unarmed people to keep communities in fear. And if they happen to be in law enforcement, they should get a free pass to do so because they’re sacrificing their lives to serve the country.
We cannot be shamed for calling out what’s wrong, just as we’re encouraged to praise what’s right. The Black Panthers were not murderers. They were needed. They protected the black community when it was being crushed. They were throwing black men in prison, brutally destroying young black men’s futures with criminal records, and murdering and harassing black pedestrians and drivers. At the time, the police covered up their crimes while imprisoning others for committing the same crimes.
It’s like how my respect for female R&B collapsed when many of them only lamented the negative experiences they had with men. Instead of taking some responsibility for doing the things that led to men treating them like garbage, they focused on blaming men for not being fools who ignore shortcomings. However, Beyoncé has continued to praise her lover; she shows vulnerability while being sexy while maintaining her strength as an independent woman.
This balance had come to fruition since the beginning of her career when she sang songs like “Dangerously in Love” and “Baby Boy.” This makes it noteworthy when she lends her voice to the powerful message appealing to law enforcement to “stop killing us.”*
