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Justin Timberlake Takes A Stance On Confederate Monuments

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Lauryn Overhultz Columnist
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Actor and musician Justin Timberlake called for confederate monuments to be taken down.

Timberlake shared a video bringing awareness to confederate statues and shared his thoughts Monday on his Instagram.

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…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.

A post shared by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on

“A lot of you know I’m from Tennessee…a state that happens to be the home of many many confederate monuments,” Timberlake captioned a video about the statues. “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,” he continued. “Why is that the reaction? Because America was built by men who believed in and benefitted from racism. Plain and simple.”

Timberlake went on to say that those men are still celebrated in America. (RELATED: Richmond Mayor Uses Emergency Powers To Immediately Remove Confederate Statues)

“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,” he added.
⠀
“There are roughly 1,848 confederate statues of in the US,” Timberlake said. “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.”