Justin Timberlake And Taylor Swift Calls For Removal Of Confederate Statues

Justin Timberlake is joining a growing list of celebrities calling on their hometowns to remove Confederate monuments and memorabilia amid national anti-racism protests.  

The "Mirrors" singer, 39, wrote on Instagram Monday that his home state of Tennessee "happens to be the home of many many confederate monuments."

"If we plan to move forward, these monuments must come down," Justin Timberlake wrote. "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."


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Timberlake accompanied his message with a video that he said highlights "the history of the monuments in your own states and counties" from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Justin Timberlake is one of many celebrities weighing on the controversial Confederate symbol, which has been slammed by critics as racist and hailed by supporters as a part of their  heritage. The ongoing debate was renewed by the death of George Floyd on May 25 while in police custody.

Timberlake's fellow Tennessean, pop star Taylor Swift, also called on her lawmakers to remove all "racist" monuments. The pop star, 30, made an impassioned plea on June 12 to Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission to stop honoring historical bigots.

"As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things," Swift wrote in a message shared on Instagram. "Edward Carmack and Nathan Bedford Forrest were DESPICABLE figures in our state history and should be treated as such."

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In the caption, Taylor Swift added: "When you fight to honor racists, you show Black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand."

View this post on Instagram

I’m asking the Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission to please consider the implications of how hurtful it would be to continue fighting for these monuments. When you fight to honor racists, you show black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand, and you continue this cycle of hurt. You can’t change history, but you can change this. 🙏

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jun 12, 2020 at 1:01pm PDT