Beyoncé slams 'the war on people of color' in powerful online statement

Pop music icon Beyoncé is using her website to call for action and express outrage over this week's killings by police of two African-American men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

"We don't need sympathy," she wrote. "We need everyone to respect our lives."

The singer, whose video and performances for the song "Formation" have drawn criticism from police, continued, "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 to protect us should consistently go unpunished."

She then called for unity.

"This is a human fight," she wrote. "No matter your race, gender or sexual orientation. This is a fight for anyone who feels marginalized, who is struggling for freedom and human rights."

She called the killings by police of people of color a "war" that "needs to be over."

Read the entire statement on her home page, here.