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‘Dancing With The Stars’: Skai Jackson recalls facing discrimination as Black kid, fans hail her as 'fearless'

hen she was six years old, Skai enrolled in Salsa classes where she was apparently asked to stay away from the other kids because she was Black and the color would 'rub off' on them

Skai Jackson paid tribute to Janet Jackson in the latest, November 9, episode of ‘Dancing With The Stars’ titled 'Icons night'. Besides being one of Skai’s favorite artistes, Janet has also inspired her as an activist. The Disney star recalls how she admires the music icon for standing up for Back Lives Matter before sharing her own painful experience. 

Skai revealed that she was subjected to racism while growing up and that’s one of the reasons the movement is close to her heart. Apparently, when she was six years old, she enrolled in Salsa classes, where she was asked to stay away from the other kids because she was Black and the color would “rub off” on them. 

She later talked about her contribution to the Black Lives Matter and what it means to fight for a cause that’s so personal to her. This isn’t the first time she’s used the public platform to draw attention to the prevailing social issue. Following the death of George Floyd, when BLM was at its peak, Skai actively shared posts on Twitter calling out racists. 

The 18-year-old focused on racist bullying and spoke with fans who approached her for solutions on being subjected to discrimination. In order to help fans and make sure they are heard, she began sharing screenshots consisting of bullies’ names and even the schools or college they went to. In the latest episode, Skai says that justice hasn’t been served as the Black community continues to fight systemic racism.

Fans couldn’t stop raving about the young star after listening to her opinion about Black Lives Matter and watching her deliver a powerful performance to Janet Jackson’s ‘If’. One tweeted, "Skai is a firecraker. Fearless  #DWTS #blm" Another tweeted, "I loveddd both of @skaijackson dances tonight and I love how she always stands up for what she believes in and uses her platform for good  #BLM #DWTS #TeamReachForTheSkai"

One user wrote, "You have your opinions, and I have mine - @skaijackson being honest and open about her experiences of being an American-American in this country and living through racism isn't political, it's fact, and it needs to end because #BLM." One fan wrote, "Skai talking about the blm movement while absolutely killing that performance #DWTS #teamreachfortheskai"