Beyoncé Stops Glasgow Show For Moment Of Silence

As one of the leading celebrities who is part of the Black Lives Matter movement, Beyoncé took a stand following the two recent cases of black men dying at the hands of police, and the many more that came before them. The pop star and all around queen put a full stop in the middle of her concert in Glasgow to give a moment of silence to the victims of police violence and their families. The flawless melding of her work and the importance of her message, to remember victims' names and realize the all-too-often reality of racism in the United States, was well received by her 50,000+ audience at Hampden Park.

The display showed name after name of victims killed by police brutality on giant screens behind her, with "And countless others" listed at the bottom. The names included the recent victims Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, as well as Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Mike Brown, and Oscar Grant. After the moment of silence, Beyoncé performed an a cappella version of her song "Freedom."

Beyoncé's increasing outspokenness on police brutality, from this year's Super Bowl and her "Formation" music video to now, serves as a call to action from everyone who is affected by these constant tragedies and unfair losses of innocent black lives. The movement and hashtag "Say Her Name," which "responds to increasing calls for attention to police violence against Black women," according to the African American Policy Forum, relates to, and perhaps was the inspiration behind, Beyoncé's public call to action. Saying and seeing the countless names of victims killed at the hands of police draws attention to the violence that continues in a more personal way, as well as to the fight it will take for the rights and respect of black lives.

Along with this public display, Beyoncé also posted about the tragedies in an Instagram post and through her Beyonce.com website, which now opens to a letter from the singer herself that links to ContactTheCongress.org.

Beyoncé's activism is something we should all strive to replicate, because like she says in her letter, "We all have the power to channel our anger and frustration into action."