Beyoncé Lends Support to Anti-Trump Women’s March on Washington

Pop mega-star Beyoncé encouraged her 64 million fans on Facebook to turn out and support the Women’s March on Washington to protest President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“We raise our voices as mothers, as artists, and as activists. As #GlobalCitizens, we can make our voices heard and turn awareness into meaningful action and positive change. #WomensMarch.,” the “Lemonade” singer wrote Wednesday.

Over 100,000 activists are expected to flock to Washington D.C. to attend the celebrity-endorsed rally, which will take place Saturday January 21.

The group’s organizers want the event to “send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.”

Last week, singers and staunch Hillary Clinton supporters Katy Perry and Cher endorsed the anti-Trump rally. Ugly Betty actress America Ferrera, chair of the Women March’s “artist table,” said the protest march is about standing up to the incoming administration.

“Since the election, so many fear that their voices will go unheard,” Ferrera said in a statement. “As artists, women, and most importantly dedicated Americans, it is critical that we stand together in solidarity for the protection, dignity, and rights of our communities. Immigrant rights, worker rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA rights, racial justice and environmental rights are not special interests, they affect us all and should be every American’s concern.”

Actresses Scarlett Johansson, Zendaya, Debra Messing, Julianne Moore and comedienne Amy Schumer are all expected to participate in the January 21 event.

Netflix talk show host Chelsea Handler is leading her own anti-Trump rally in Park City, Utah which will coincide with the march at the nation’s capital.

While Women’s March on Washington organizers say the event “is an evolving effort originally founded by white women,” activists of races and genders are expected to attend.

Nevertheless, the rally has been marked by racial tension.

On Wednesday, the NAACP of Portland said the group voted to withdraw its support of the Women’s March on Portland, a satellite anti-Trump protest.

“I didn’t want to be part of the march if it was going to be a white-woman kumbaya march,” said NAACP president Jo Ann Hardesyt.

The New York Times reports that other anti-Trump protest organizers from Louisiana to Tennessee have seen race become an issue. “Long before the first buses roll to Washington and sister demonstrations take place in other cities, contentious conversations about race have erupted nearly every day among marchers, exhilarating some and alienating others,” the Times reported.

 

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter: @JeromeEHudson