Justin Timberlake Calls On Tennessee Officials To Remove Racist Statues

Tennessee native Justin Timberlake posted a lengthy message to his social media page, calling on the state to remove its racist monuments.

“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,” his post begins.

He continued, “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. “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.”

Several states and institutions across the country have already taken steps to remove racist flags and monuments. Will Tennessee follow suit?