Singer Justin Timberlake is calling for Confederate statues in the United States of America to be removed. He noted that half of them are in the South of the country - Timberlake himself is from Tennessee.
The singer and actor took to social media platform Instagram to share a video featuring American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) deputy legal director Jeffrey Robinson, Fox News reports.
In his caption, Timberlake writes that there are "roughly 1,848 confederate statues" still standing in America, with "more than half" of them in the South.
He wrote;
"A lot of you know I’m from Tennessee
"...a state that happens to be the home of many many confederate monuments. I’ve been listening closely to the ongoing debates about what to do with these statues — and I really want to take a minute to talk about this. ⠀
⠀
"When we protest racism in America, people think we are protesting America itself. Why is that the reaction? Because America was built by men who believed in and benefitted from racism. Plain and simple. ⠀
⠀
"This is when you hear “But that’s all in the past”. So let’s be clear... those men who proudly owned and abused Black people are STILL celebrated all over the country. ⠀
⠀
"There are roughly 1,848 confederate statues of in the US. More than half are in The South, and it’s not acceptable. No one should be protecting the legacies of confederate leaders and slave owners.
⠀
"If we plan to move forward, these monuments must come down. But let’s remember: Removing these statues does not erase our country’s vile history of oppression — removing them is a symbol of respect for Black people in America and it’s a step towards progress and actual equality for all. ⠀
⠀
"This video is by @aclu_nationwide, which has been fighting hard to remove these statues across the country. Their Legal Director #JeffreyRobinson has been speaking on this issue for years (you can find more in the link in my bio). Please follow them and learn more about the history of the monuments in your own states and counties."
You can see the post in full here:
Meanwhile, Billboard reports that last month Taylor Swift spoke out about two Confederate statues of Edward Carmack and Forrest in Tennessee. "Taking down statues isn’t going to fix centuries of systemic oppression, violence and hatred that black people have had to endure but it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe - not just the white ones," Swift wrote.
