Justin Bieber is doing a lot of personal reflection this holiday season.
Do y’all remember when the entertainer was caught on camera using the n-word and telling racist jokes with his friends when he was only 15 years old?
Well, it appears the Sorry singer just can’t seem to forget that transgression. He took to Instagram on Tuesday night and shared a message of determination to atone for the sins of his past.
Related: Is Justin Bieber Being Unprofessional?
Although he didn’t specifically mention the incident in question (which happened over a decade ago but has been immortalized on the Internet), it seems the Biebs is still dreadfully remorseful about it! Alongside an image of the words, “STAND AGAINST RACISM,” the star told his followers:
“When I was young I was uneducated and found myself saying really hurtful things not knowing the power of my words. Racism Is still very prevalent and I want to use my voice to remind we are all human being and all of EQUAL VALUE BEFORE GOD!”
As seen, here:
This wasn’t the singer’s only post about the subject, though!
Justin also posted another holiday-appropriate image of a Drewhouse-themed Christmas tree and reiterated his commitment to doing better as a person:
“I’m determined this holiday season to take ownership of all my shortcomings and work on them for myself and the ones I love! What is your goal?”
As our readers will recall, back in 2014, two TMZ videos surfaced which showed a then 14-year-old Bieber using racial slurs. In one clip, he bizarrely asked his pals:
“Why are black people afraid of chainsaws? Run n—-r, n—-r, n—-r, n—-r, n—-r.”
In another vid, Hailey Bieber‘s man changed the chorus of his song One Less Lonely Girl by substituting ‘girl’ for the n-word.
Eek. It’s still so cringeworthy years later!
Justin was 19 years old by the time his regrettable actions were made public and he did issue an official apology for ’em afterwards, saying:
“As a young man, I didn’t understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn’t realise at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance.
I take my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable mistake. I was a kid then and I am a man now who knows my responsibility to the world and to not make that mistake again.
Ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what’s right.
Five years ago I made a reckless and immature mistake and I’m grateful to those close to me who helped me learn those lessons as a young man. Once again….I’m sorry.”
However, it appears time has helped the now 25-year-old see the true error in his past problematic ways and he desperately wants people to know he’s not that guy anymore!!!
Nah. These days, he’s all about peace, love, making music, and defending the victimized whenever he can.
It’s worth noting Justin’s new album is supposedly coming very soon, along with a tour in the works. Is this just some good PR before the rollout?
Look, sometimes being an ally means less talk (or posting on IG) and more action! Does this mean he’ll be advocating with human rights campaigns or taking a public stand when it comes to sensitive discussions about race? Really use that immense platform!
Reactions to all this, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comment section (below)…
[Image via C.M. Wiggins/WENN]
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