Justin Bieber is using his platform to take a stand against racism. The singer has shared a post on Instagram throwing support behind the Black Lives Matter movement, and promising to do his part to fight for equality.
"I am a white Canadian and I will never know what it feels like to be an African American," he wrote Friday. "[W]hat 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."
Bieber's statement comes at an important time. On Friday, President Donald Trump spoke out against NFL players who have chosen to stand with Colin Kaepernick in taking a knee during the national anthem. "Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flags to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now! Out. He’s fired! He’s fired!'," Trump said. Kaepernick's goal with the protest is to stand in opposition to the oppression of black people and people of color within the country.
Justin Bieber participated in the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief telethon alongside Beyoncé, Drake, and Nicki Minaj earlier this month. He led a multi-faith prayer for those affected by Harvey and Irma, joined by Rabbi Ari Lukas Pastor John Gray and Muslim scholar Jihad Turk. Justin's manager, Scooter Braun spoke of the importance of the event. "I think the whole point of what we’re trying to say with this telethon is that the devastation of the hurricane means we need to help each other — but it doesn’t stop or end there," he said.