Beyoncé Asked Fans To Do The Fiercest Thing They Could Possibly Do This November
It's surprisingly simple.
Steven Lerner @steven_lerner
If you're young and have felt frustrated and disenchanted about the way the 2016 presidential election has turned out, know that Beyoncé feels your pain. But she doesn't want you to give up hope, as evidenced by a speech she gave to fans encouraging them to exercise their right to vote this November.
In an Instagram post from Saturday, the Grammy Award-winning artist shared a video of the speech, which she delivered the previous week during the Tidal X: 1015 concert in New York City.
"I know this year has been extremely hard for all of us," Beyoncé told her fans in the video. "There's been so much negativity and nonsense. It can be easy to feel helpless, and want to just block the world out. But doing nothing right now is not an option. I know it seems like things are bad, but if you think they can't get worse, just ask your grandparents."
Beyoncé reminded her fans of the brave people who have "died and sacrificed" so that everyone could have the right to vote.
"The right to use our voice at the polling stations this Election Day is not a privilege that should be taken lightly," she wrote on Instagram. "Throughout history, from the women's suffrage movement to the Civil Rights Movement, this is a right that we had to fight to obtain. It was our power that put the first Black president into the White House, and it was our influence that changed the course of history."
As of Monday, Beyoncé's Instagram post has received over 3.6 million views.
Young voters have a tremendous opportunity to make their voices heard on Election Day. This year marks the first time that as many millennials will be able to vote as baby boomers, and a strong turnout from young people could change the outcome of the election.
We talk a lot on A Plus about making advocacy and altruism regular habits, and finding little ways to give back each day. One sure way to make an impact, as Beyoncé noted, is to vote. Her post on Instagram included a Rock The Vote link so that young followers could check out their local polling places and ballot information.
Because there's nothing more fierce or flawless than being a fully informed voter.
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Cover image via DFree / Shutterstock.com.
(H/T: The Hill)
Tags: beyonce, election 2016, instagramers, voting, where do i vote?
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