The US is once again in the midst of an intense crisis over race relations and police brutality, following the deaths of two black men at the hands of white officers earlier this week, and shocking violence last night in Dallas.

Many leading African-American public figures have spoken out about the issue, amongst them Barack Obama, Serena Williams and John Legend. https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/751074188786630657 https://twitter.com/johnlegend/status/750946379401355264 Last night, Beyonce issued a statement on her official website in response to the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. In the open letter, she calls on fans to make their voices heard and to contact their political representatives about the problem of police brutality. She writes:

"We’re going to stand up as a community and fight against anyone who believes that murder or any violent action by those who are sworn in to protect us should consistently go unpunished." "These robberies of lives make us feel helpless and hopeless but we have to believe that we are fighting for the rights of the next generation, for the next young men and women who believe in good." "Fear is not an excuse. Hate will not win. We all have the power to channel our anger and frustration into action. We must use our voices to contact the politicians and legislators in our districts and demand social and judicial changes."

Last night, Beyonce performed the Glasgow leg of her Formation world tour, and, according to some of those in attendance, during it she called on the audience to observe a moment's silence against a backdrop listing the names of people who have died at the hands of police officers. https://twitter.com/TheAussieSide/status/751161860607471616 https://twitter.com/ABC/status/751208715601088512 A fan in the audience also captured this video of Beyonce performing an acapella version of 'Freedom' in honour of the dead. https://twitter.com/Bey_Legion/status/751181915605110784 https://www.instagram.com/p/BHkodbPBOGC/

Cover image via: twitter.com/TheAussieSide