Justin Timberlake joins call to remove Confederate statues
Justin Timberlake, a native of Tennessee, has called for the removal of Confederate monuments throughout the country. In an Instagram post on Monday, he wrote, “America was built by men who believed in and benefitted from racism . ... 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,” he continued. “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.”
The issue is one of many currently polarizing the country, and although controversy has surrounded the Confederate monument matter since it reemerged in the wake of the 2017 domestic terrorist attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, the pendulum of public opinion seems to have swung substantially toward removing them. According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 52% of the people polled are in favor of removing them from public spaces (with 44% opposed), whereas in August 2017, 39% were in favor and 50% opposed.
Other portions of Timberlake’s post appear below.
“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 . ...
“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.”