Justin Timberlake has become the latest public figure to call for the removal of Confederate monuments across the US.
The musician and actor, who is from Tennessee, shared his thoughts regarding the monuments in an Instagram post on Monday.
“There are roughly 1,848 confederate statues of in the US,” he wrote in his caption of the post, which featured a video by the American Civil Liberties Union about Confederate monuments. “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,” Timberlake continued. “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.”
Timberlake isn’t the only celebrity to demand the removal of Confederate monuments. Last month, Taylor Swift also spoke out against the monuments, saying they make her sick.
Black celebrities like Yara Shahidi and Kerry Washington condemned Confederate monuments in 2018.
The debate around Confederate monuments has been renewed in recent weeks, as more and more cities choose to remove them over their racist histories. Their removal, however, has also been met with criticism as an erasure of history.