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Justin Timberlake calls for removal of Confederate statues as 'men who abused Black people' still celebrated

The 39-year-old singer stated that from a total of roughly 1,848 Confederate monuments across the US, many are situated in his home state of Tennessee
UPDATED JUL 7, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Justin Timberlake has spoken up against racism and also called for the removal of Confederate statues from his home state of Tennessee on Monday, July 6. The 39-year-old singer took to Instagram as well as Twitter to make a passionate plea while urging for change amid the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the May 25 death of George Floyd.

Timberlake retweeted a post about the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that said, “Nathaniel Bedford Forrest was a Confederate general and KKK leader responsible for The Fort Pillow Massacre, one of the worst atrocities of the Civil War. A statue memorializing him still remains in the Tennessee State House today.” The actor wrote: “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.” He added, “If we plan to move forward, these Confederate monuments must come down.”

Timberlake also voiced his opinion on his Instagram page with a video from the ACLU that he said highlights “the history of the monuments in your own states and counties". In the caption, the ‘Mirrors’ singer 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.”

The ‘Friends with Benefits’ actor echoed the same emotion as his Twitter post as he shared the same caption again but also added, “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,” Timberlake explained.

Timberlake’s plea comes weeks after Taylor Swift, who is also from Tennessee, said she wanted statues of “racist figures” removed permanently. In a series of tweets on June 12, the 30-year-old singer said that “Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such."

She also added in another tweet that “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.”

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