Selena Gomez pleads with fans to register to vote: 'Everyone needs to have their voices heard'

By Megan Stone

Selena Gomez made an impassioned plea to fans on the importance of voting.

The "Lose You to Love Me" singer regained control of her Instagram on Thursday, after stepping away so that leaders from the black community could speak directly to her 180 million followers.

Gomez pressed the importance of staying informed in a persuasive and emotional letter to her fans. "Educating ourselves is the first step if we hope to make any progress in bringing an end to systemic racism," the 27-year-old said. "Unless this is recognized, history will continue to repeat itself over and over."

Marking Juneteenth's importance, the day "slaves in Texas were told they were free on June 19th 1865," Gomez also encouraged fans to keep holding meaningful conversations that promote equality and justice, before pleading with fans to register to vote in the upcoming elections.

"Everyone needs to have their voices heard and we can do that by VOTING," she wrote. "We will not let voter suppression stop us!"

Gomez then acknowledged the privilege she has and vowed to use it responsibly. "It’s not lost on me how fortunate I am to have this platform," she wrote, adding how proud she was to turn her social media over to "some of the most inspiring people I’ve come across in my life" over the past two weeks.

The Rare Beauty mogul was sure to not only upload a collage of the individuals she turned her account over to, but urged fans who missed any of their conversations to visit her Instagram Stories.

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A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Jun 18, 2020 at 5:26pm PDT

"This is just the beginning," Gomez vowed in conclusion. "We will continue to hear from other Black voices and as well as other marginalized communities I am committed to doing the work and I hope you join me."