Pop star Justin Timberlake is facing a backlash after expressing his support for Jesse Williams’ speech at the BET awards. Jesse was at the event to collect the humanitarian award and have an impassioned speech about the exclusion of black people in all walks of life. He said ‘burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil.’
Timberlake posted his support for the actor, who is mixed race, saying that he was inspired. But it didn’t take long for the Can’t Stop the Feeling singer to get shot down on social media. He was criticised by several followers of cultural appropriation, claiming that Justin did not understand the struggle because he himself has white privilege. Others said that while the singer might have been inspired to emulate black styles in his music, he did nothing to support movements which improve the lives of ordinary black people.
Other people on Twitter also brought up the Superbowl incident where Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s breast back in 2004. A journalist from the Philadelphia Magazine tweeted ‘so does this mean you’re going to stop appropriating our music and culture? And apologize to Janet too. #BETAwards.’ OUCH!