Justin Timberlake says 'America was built by men who believed in and benefitted from racism'

Singer Justin Timberlake has offered his views regarding the ongoing debates (and protests) over racism in the U.S., saying that the issue is "plain and simple": "America was built by men who believed in and benefitted from racism."

 

What are the details?

In a social media post arguing for the removal of Confederate statues, Timberlake wrote, "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, "If we plan to move forward, these confederate monuments must come down."

The Tennessee native also shared a link to a post from the American Civil Liberties Union, noting that a bust of late Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest remains on display in the Tennessee State House.

The singer added on Instagram:

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 (sic) 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.

The Daily Wire noted that Timberlake's "post on American white supremacy comes several weeks after he declared that 'black people in America are not safe.'"

Since the death of George Floyd in late May, numerous Confederate statues have been either torn down or peacefully removed throughout the Southern U.S. Nationwide, statues of Founding Fathers such as Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson have also been toppled because the men owned slaves.

But statues of abolitionists such as Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Frederick Douglass have also been destroyed in the ongoing rioting in the U.S.