Taylor Swift Campaigns To Remove Tennessee’s 'Racist' Confederate Statues

Taylor Swift is pushing for change in her home state of Tennessee.

On Friday (June 12), the 30-year-old singer wrote a passionate message calling for the removal of white supremacist statues still standing around Tennessee. Swift used her social media platform to urge the Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission get rid of the “hurtful” and “evil” monuments celebrating “despicable,” “racist” historical figures, including “white supremacist newspaper editor” Edward Carmack and former slave trader and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forest. (The former’s statue was recently torn down during last week's protests.)

“I’m asking the Capitol Commission and the Tennessee Historical Commission to please consider the implications of how hurtful it would be to continue fighting for these monuments,” Swift captioned her message. “When you fight to honor racists, you show black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand, and you continue this cycle of hurt. You can’t change history, but you can change this. 🙏”

In her post, Swift argues against the state’s pledge to replace Carmack’s statue, insisting that doing so would be “a waste of state funds and a waste of an opportunity to do the right thing." Instead, the musician suggested erecting a statue of Ida B. Wells, whose office was targeted in an arson attack incited by Carmack.

Although the “Lover” star acknowledges bringing down these statues will not rectify the centuries-long effects of racism, systemic oppression, and violence Black people have suffered, Swift argues "it might bring us one small step closer to making ALL Tennesseans and visitors to our state feel safe — not just the white ones."

"We need to retroactively change the status of people who perpetuated hideous patterns of racism from 'heroes' to 'villains.’ And villains don't deserve statues,” she continued. “When you fight to honor racists, you show black Tennesseans and all of their allies where you stand, and you continue this cycle of hurt. You can’t change history, but you can change this."

Amid these tense times following George Floyd's tragic arrest, the "Man" artist has been doing her part to support people and families of color and using her platform to condemn racial injustice in support of Black Lives Matter.

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