Darius Rucker has officially spoken out against George Floyd’s unlawful death, and the subsequent protests for justice that have spanned the nation this week.
“I have been sitting here trying to figure out what I wanted to say,” the Hootie & the Blowfish frontman wrote in an emotional message via Instagram on Monday (June 1).
“2020 has already been heartbreaking. Now, here we are having to again face the truth of racism and the pain and frustration of the African American community,” he wrote. “As an American, a father, a son, a brother, a singer, a man… I have faced racism my whole life, from kindergarten to the life I live today. Racism is not a born thing; it is a taught thing. It is not a strong belief; it is a weak belief. It is not a financial issue; it is a hatred issue.”
“Over the course of my life, I guess I had just put it down to ‘that’s just the way it is.’ No, I know I had,” he continued. “It is no longer alright for me to perpetuate the myth that things are okay. I have kids whom I love and cherish, and to watch them go through this, to feel their anguish and anger trying to deal with this is heartbreaking for me. The question that keeps coming up is ‘will it ever change?’ And my answer now has to be ‘YES.'”
The country singer went on to outwardly support protesters. “We have to come together somehow, y’all. The only way it will ever change is if we can change people’s hearts. I don’t know how we are going to make that happen, but I am ready to try everything we have to do, because we need to do better.”
“I really hope that we get better as a nation,” he concluded. “My request to you guys is to search your heart on behalf of all of us, and root out any fear, hate or division you have inside of you. We need to come together.”
See Rucker’s full post below.
