Justin Bieber: ‘I Am Willing to Stand Up’ for Black Lives Matter
Justin Bieber, who has largely abstained from political discourse on social media, posted a black-and-yellow text graphic reading “Black Lives Matter” to his Instagram with a lengthy caption about the movement. The post comes one week after the pop star appeared on the Hand in Hand telethon supporting hurricane relief.
“I am a white Canadian and I will never know what it feels like to be an African American,” Bieber wrote. “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,” he wrote. “We are all God’s children and we are ALL EQUAL.”
In late July, the “Sorry” singer canceled the remaining 15 shows on his Purpose World Tour. “I’m sorry for anyone who feels, like, disappointed or betrayed, it’s not in my heart,” Bieber told TMZ at the time. People reported that the singer was “super exhausted” after 18 months on the road.
Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, appeared on CBS This Morning Thursday and reassured fans that the singer would eventually open up about why he pulled latter part of his tour and also supports the artist’s decision.
“Look, I think he’ll decide to tell people when he’s ready of what exactly happened,” Braun said. “But I think he was making a decision, like he said, to protect himself. But he’s 23 years old, now. And if he makes a decision as a man, as long as he’s willing to listen to opinions and hear people out – if he has true conviction – I’m willing to have his back.”