Justin Timberlake calling for Confederate monuments to be removed

Justin Timberlake is the latest celebrity to call for the removal of Confederate monuments across the United States. Timberlake, a Tennessee native, shared his thoughts in an Instagram post, Monday. 

By mporter on July 7, 2020
(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame)

By: Madeleine Porter

Justin Timberlake is the latest celebrity to call for the removal of Confederate monuments across the United States.

Timberlake, a Tennessee native, shared his thoughts and feelings about the removal of Confederate monuments in an Instagram post, Monday.

“There are roughly 1,848 confederate statues of in the US,” Timberlake wrote in his caption, featuring a video by the American Civil Liberties Union about Confederate monuments. “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,” Timberlake continued. “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 is not the only star to use his platform to speak out for the movement.

Taylor Swift posted on Twitter in June saying the Confederate monuments made her ‘sick’.

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

The removal of Confederate monuments has sparked criticism claiming it is erasing history.

 

 

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