Selena Gomez is showing gratitude to the numerous Black leaders who took over her Instagram page over the past two weeks.
The 27-year-old pop star returned to Instagram Thursday (June 18) to share a heartfelt message of thanks to the 12 “inspiring” activists and authors for educating her 180 million followers. The singer also encouraged her fans to continue educating themselves and to enact change through voting.
“I want to thank all of the amazing people that took the time to speak to us directly,” Gomez began her note, which included photos of the dozen individuals. “I am blown away with your knowledge, eagerness to teach and commitment to ensuring Black voices are not silenced. Educating ourselves is the first step if we hope to make any progress in bringing an end to systemic racism.”
Earlier this month, amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd, Gomez handed over her Instagram account to leaders in the Black community including rapper Killer Mike, Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, activist Ruby Bridges, and former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams.
“It’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have this platform and appreciate you all for taking the time to watch, listen and take in the powerful messages and information we’ve been provided over the last two weeks by some of the most inspiring people I’ve come across in my life,” Gomez wrote. “If you missed any of these incredible IG stories they are all saved in my Story Highlights under #BLM and #BLM2. This is just the beginning and we will continue to hear from other Black voices and as well as other marginalized communities I am committed to doing the work and I hope you join me.”
Gomez also took time to recognize Friday’s Juneteenth holiday and asked fans to “take the day to have conversations with your family and friends about the importance of Black Lives Matter and how we all need to join together to ensure equality and justice.”
See the singer’s full IG post below.
