Beyonce’s expected appearance at a Kamala Harris rally on Friday in Houston has fans and politicos buzzing, as the Democratic nominee is set to finally unite onstage with the singer whose music and Black causes have permeated her campaign for president. This is far from the first political foray for Beyonce, who has reliably backed Democratic candidates since the Obama years, and frequently touches on liberal-aligned issues in her music. She reportedly even let Harris use her hit song “Freedom” as a rally anthem.
Still, Beyonce was running out of time to explicitly support Harris in this year’s neck-and-neck race. A baseless rumor that she was going to perform at the Democratic National Convention in August left many Harris supporters disappointed when the night ended with no sight of Queen Bey. The Washington Post was first to confirm Beyonce’s Friday appearance from people familiar with the event, which should come as a relief to more than a few of her fans, not to mention Harris’s.
With Black voter turnout expected to be crucial in the Nov. 5 election, both parties have been trying to court them in the race’s final weeks. In Beyonce, Harris will have in her corner one of the most successful Black artists in the world – one who has consistently promoted Black culture and causes.
A police union leader called for officers to boycott Beyoncé’s “Formation” world tour in 2016, after the music video for that song featured her singing atop a sinking patrol .