'Black Lives Matter' movement: Taylor Swift urges people to vote

Taylor Swift is one of the many A-list celebrities who spoke against racial injustice after the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota on May 25.

However, Taylor Swift remained largely silent on her social media accounts on the issue afterward, prompting criticism from her fans who called her out on Tumblr asking for more active participation by her in the "Black Lives Matter" protest, reports Elle.

The last tweet posted by the pop-star was also regarding the anti-racism protests. The 30-year-old took to the platform to openly call out United States President Donald Trump on May 29 after he threatened military mobilisation against the violent protests. "After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump," she had written.

The "Lover" singer also posted a black square on her Instagram account and replaced her profile picture with it in solidarity with Blackout Tuesday. She also posted an Instagram story encouraging fans to donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund which is used in fighting racial injustice and in a separate story urged people to change the system by their votes. Despite her posts, the singer who previously also drew criticism for being politically silent during the 2016 US Presidential elections, was called out on Tumblr over the weekend by fans who urged her to speak out.

The singer returned to her Twitter account on Tuesday to reiterate her stand on the matter and urged people to use their voting rights to bring change in the system. "Racial injustice has been ingrained deeply into local and state governments, and changes MUST be made there. In order for policies to change, we need to elect people who will fight against police brutality and racism of any kind. #BlackLivesMatter," the Grammy-winner wrote.

The "Blank Space" hitmaker also urged people to fight for mail-in voting for the 2020 election, which has garnered several requests across the US after citizens in Wisconsin had to risk exposure to coronavirus by visiting polling booths to cast their vote for the primary election in March. While former first lady Michelle Obama is spearheading a campaign to demand mail-in voting, Trump remains strongly opposed to the idea claiming that it would increase risks of online hacking.

"We need to fight for mail-in voting for the 2020 election. No one should have to choose between their health and having their voice heard," Swift wrote.

Meanwhile, several other celebrities have also voiced their support to the "Black Lives Matter" movement and are taking various kinds of steps to promote it. Makeup mogul Kylie Jenner recently participated in the "Pull Up or Shut Up" initiative, led by Uoma Beauty's founder and CEO Sharon Chuter who called on cosmetic brands to release the number of African-American employees in their organisations.

"You all have statements and policies about being equal opportunity employers, so show us the proof! PULL UP or SHUT UP!" Chuter wrote on recently created Instagram account "Pull Up for Change."

In response, Jenner released the percentage of black employees in Kylie Cosmetics. 'Pull Up for Change' stated on its Instagram account: "@kyliecosmetics Pulled up! 13% Black representation and leadership team consists of @kyliejenner and @krisjenner. Thank you for the transparency #pulluporshutup."

The reality TV star also disclosed that its staff also consists of 100 percent women-identifying, 53 percent White, and 47 percent BIPOC (which stands for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour).