Justin Bieber used Instagram to express his beliefs and opinions about the controversial Black Lives Matter movement on Saturday, Sept. 23. His caption accompanying the Instagram picture was, “I am a white Canadian and I will never know what it feels like to be an African American 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 Gods children and we are ALL EQUAL.”
In the past, Bieber has largely avoided discussing politics throughout his career, especially on social media platforms. However, his mentorship with Usher and his friends from the hip-hop industry, who he has done past collaborations with, such as Chance the Rapper, have influenced his stance with the movement.
Bieber has previously indicated his position of support for the Black Lives Matter movement during the time of the presidential election. He was approached to perform at the Republican National Convention in 2016 for $5 million. The musician turned down the offer after he was informed that he was not able to state his political views during the performance, which meant that his “Black Lives Matter” banners were not permitted during the performance. The donors allowed him to sing in front of “All Lives Matter” banners, yet the singer and his predominately African American band still refused the offer.
Bieber has turned to other social media platforms, such as Twitter, to raise awareness for recent tragedies like the terrorist attack in Manchester at an Ariana Grande concert, and also the telethon for Hurricane Harvey victims, which was conducted by his manager Scooter Braun. Bieber even posted a video on Instagram showing his support and love for Houston after the city was hit by the hurricane. In the video, he stated, “Just looking at these photos here from Hurricane Harvey and I just want to say that I am so sorry to all the families who have lost their homes and the people who have lost their lives. I am going to accept the Kevin Hart Challenge and give $25,000 towards the Red Cross.”
