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Justin Bieber Says He ‘Benefited Off of Black Culture,’ Vows to Continue to Speak Out Against Racial Injustice
Pop star Justin Bieber vowed to continue to use his voice to speak up about racial injustice in a passionate message to fans in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I am inspired by black culture. I have benefited off of black culture. My style, how I sing, dance, perform and my fashion have all been influenced and inspired by black culture,” Justin, 26, wrote via Instagram. “I am committed to using my platform for this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systematic oppression and to identify ways to be a part of a much-needed change.”
The “Intentions” singer’s statement comes after fans criticized his support of the #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd movements on social media. Many recalled an incident in 2014, where a video surfaced of Justin, who was 14 years old at the time, singing a parody of his hit song “One Less Lonely Girl.” But instead of singing the original lyric, he replaced “girl” with the n-word.
Justin issued a formal apology for using the n-word when the video surfaced again in 2019. “When I was young I was uneducated and found myself saying really hurtful things not knowing the power of my words,” he wrote on Instagram in December of that year. “Racism Is still very prevalent and I want to use my voice to remind we are all human being and all of EQUAL VALUE BEFORE GOD!”
Since then, the Canada native has been committed to using his platform to support Black Lives Matter. In the weeks following George Floyd’s death — a Minneapolis man who died in police custody on May 25, when Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his next for eight minutes and 46 seconds during his arrest — Justin has used his Instagram to spread awareness to get justice for Floyd.
“Let’s not get distracted people, the other three officers must be arrested now,” read a message Justin shared on his Instagram page.
On Thursday, June 4, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Chauvin, 44, is now facing second-degree murder, an upgrade from his original charge of third-degree murder. The other three arresting officers, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao were also charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter, according to CNN.
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