INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Justin Bieber Stands Up For Black Lives Matter To ‘Shine Light On Racism’

By Page Mackinley
Published on: 19:51 PST, Sep 23, 2017

Justin Bieber is using his huge social media platform once again to help spread more awareness about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which works to improve the inequalities and injustices faced by black people.

On Friday, the Grammy winner posted a black-and-yellow text message which stated “Black Lives Matter” on his Instagram. A few minutes later, he added an explanatory caption.

Bieber wrote, “I am a white Canadian and I will never know what it feels like to be an African American.”

The 23-year-old singer continued, “But what I do know is I am willing to stand up and use my voice to shine light on racism, because it’s a real thing and it’s more prevalent now than I have ever seen in my lifetime.”

“We are all God’s children and we are ALL EQUAL,” he concluded.

Justin’s evidently earnestly-captioned BLM post follows on from his first indirect endorsement of the movement in 2016.

Last September, the pop prince tweeted a video link to VEVO’s pre-election “Why I Vote” series which featured the Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, who was one of Bieber’s “Purpose World Tour” support openers at the time.

VEVO’s series encouraged people to register to vote in the 2016 election. Mensa’s clip showed him saying “affecting change in the hood is why I vote.”

Notably, Mensa added #BlackLivesMatter to his caption when he tweeted the clip. That tweet was later quoted by Bieber in his own tweet.

Justin’s Black Lives Matters post comes after he introduced a prayer during the recent Hand-in-Hand telethon, which raised $55 million for survivors of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The “What Do You Mean?” singer, who is a Christian, also led a collective prayer and uplifting chant at the One Love Manchester benefit in June, following a terrorist bomb attack outside Ariana Grande’s tour concert in the city, which killed 22 people dead and left many injured.

While Bieber is not typically known for political comment, the singer is known for his long-standing support of the Make A Wish Foundation and Pencils Of Promise.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, the Biebs’ recently canceled his “Purpose World Tour” raised just over $2.7 million for Pencils of Promise — a non-profit organization which builds schools and provides educational resources in developing countries.

Justin is also the biggest contributor of “Wishes” (among recording artists who work with Make A Wish) and met teens and children with life-threatening illnesses at every stop on his most recent tour.

In addition to a slew of charitable efforts over the years, the superstar has supported the Make A Wish Foundation and Pencils of Promise since 2009.

Bieber’s “Purpose Tour” made headlines earlier this week after his manager, Scooter Braun, appeared on CBS This Morning last Thursday and suggested the singer would eventually reveal the full reason why he canceled the final leg of his tour in July.

It’s worth noting that the singer pulled out of 14 concerts after performing a whopping 152 shows across multiple continents in 16 months.

Declaring his support for his artist’s decision, Braun told host Gayle King, “Look, I think he’ll decide to tell people when he’s ready of what exactly happened.”

The music maven added that he thought Bieber’s decision was “like he said, to protect himself,” before explaining that if Justin makes a decision he’s willing to have his “back” as long as the singer is willing to listen to opinions and believes in his own decision with “true conviction.”

Following the premature tour leg cancelation, a rep for Bieber told People magazine and other media outlets that the singer was “super exhausted.”

Justin subsequently followed up a verbal apology to his fans with an open letter on Instagram.

He wrote, “Me taking this time right now is me saying I want to be SUSTAINABLE.”

As for Bieber’s Lives Matters post, it set off polarized debate online. While some online users brought up the singer’s apology for n-word indiscretions when he was around 14/15-years-old, other online users declared their appreciation of Justin’s support of BLM.

One notable commenter tweeted, “Well I’m willing to forgive if the person has truly changed (recognizes their fault) from who they were or what they did in the past.”

The same user explained that, in her view, racism arises and is perpetuated out of “ignorance,” but added that Bieber has “matured” since he was an impressionable child and that she saw “growth” in him.

The commenter went on to tweet that she didn’t feel that a child’s ignorance should be “held against” them “forever.”

She concluded that most people have said and/or done inappropriate things, but it is easier for non-celebrities to “grow from those moments” because their missteps are not pilloried in public view.

Many users also noted that Bieber’s support of the black civil rights movement sent a timely clear statement to his legion of young fans that racism is abhorrent and unjust.

Other users added that given the recent violence protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, turbulent racial history of the U.S., and current tense political and social tensions in the country and around the world, Bieber’s unequivocal slam of racism is important and helpful because of his wide-reaching platform and influence.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

Share this article: Justin Bieber Stands Up For Black Lives Matter To ‘Shine Light On Racism’
scooter braun justin bieber Black Lives Matter
More from Inquisitr