Justin Bieber says he is ashamed that it took the death of George Floyd to open his eyes to the racism that African Americans suffer in the country.
The Canadian singer and songwriter expressed regret that he hadn’t done more in the past to draw attention to discrimination against racial minorities.
Bieber’s comments come amid nationwide protests and furious debate since George Floyd’s tragic death on Monday, May 25.
Millions of Americans were shocked by the video clip showing a police officer kneeling on the neck of Minneapolis resident George Floyd during an arrest.
Floyd died after the officer, identified as Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for several minutes to restrain him.
Bieber shared his thoughts about Floyd’s death
During an Instagram Live session with CNN commentator Angela Rye, Bieber, who was joined by his supermodel wife Hailey, said he felt bad that he hadn’t used his platform more aggressively to show support for minorities in the country.
“I’ve been feeling shame in the sense of like, why did it take these men being killed for me to almost take a blanket over my eyes. Why now? I do feel bad when it comes to that.”
The 26-year-old Baby hitmaker also took to his Instagram main feed to share a message with his 137 million followers condemning the authorities for delaying the arrest of the police officers who were involved in the incident.
“They’d rather let the nation burn that arrest 3 of their own… let that sink in.”
Hailey shared an Instagram message about racial profiling
Hailey Baldwin-Bieber, 23, shared a video of the session with Angela Rye on her Instagram. She also shared her thoughts about racial profiling.
“As a white woman, I know I am privileged, and I didn’t always understand what that really meant. I will never understand what it’s like to be racially profiled and targeted and wake up everyday uncertain if I could lose my life because of the color of my skin.”
She wrote that even though she could not experience being profiled as a racial minority, she was striving to learn by asking questions and engaging in enlightening conversation.
She urged her Instagram followers not to be afraid to engage in discussion and ask questions so that they can better understand the experience of racial minorities.
Hailey revealed during the chat that she and Beiber planned to have babies. She said she planned to educate them about racism and the privileges they enjoy as white kids.
The Instagram Live session came after Hailey shared a message on Thursday expressing sadness over the circumstances of George Floyds’ death.
Hailey is a model who trained as a ballet dancer. She has modeled for top brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.
She is the daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin, known for playing McManus in The Usual Suspects (1995) and Barney Rubble in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000).
She is also the niece of the actor/comedian Alec Baldwin.