Since the murder of George Floyd on May 25th, when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, suffocating him in broad daylight, the entire world has come together to demand justice and systemic change.
As thousands of people around the world come together to protest, many celebrities have been speaking out on social media — trying their best to use their influence and wealth to help set a new precedent.
RELATED STORIES
Unfortunately, some celebs like Julianne Hough , have had to work extra hard to prove that they support the movement due to some past lapses in judgment.
Information about the ongoing protests in the U.S. and around the world is rapidly changing and Diply is committed to providing the most recent data as it becomes available. Some of the information in this story may have changed since publication, and we encourage readers to follow their local trusted news outlet(s) to stay up to date on the latest information surrounding these events.
As you are probably well-aware, we are currently watching history unfold. Not only are we living through a global pandemic, but a revolution as well!
While there have been far too many examples of police officers needlessly killing black people, the murder of George Floyd last month, triggered a — not only American — but global movement.
If you ask me, or any decent person, it is absolutely mortifying to think that in the year 2020, black people are still having to fight for equal rights, something that should be a given for everyone.
But it has been powerful to watch everyone — celebrities included — come together and demand long-overdue change.
That being said, it hasn’t been an easy time for anyone who has had past instances of ignorance, like Julianne Hough.
Back in 2013, Julianne dressed up as her favorite Orange Is the New Black character for Halloween, painting her face dark brown in an attempt to look the part.
Obviously, this was a major lapse in judgment on her part.
After facing immediate backlash at the time, she did come forward and apologize for her offensive behavior.
“I am a huge fan of the show Orange is the New Black , actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created,” she said .
“It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”
Even Julianne’s brother, Derek Hough, had something to say about it at the time.
“She’s my little baby sister and she’s the sweetest thing ever,” he said. “She is just beyond beside herself. She’s so apologetic. She’s so so sorry.”
“Obviously, it wasn’t her brightest moment in her life, but hopefully we can move on,” he told E! .
In a 2015 interview with *Allure*, she touched on it again.
“I really had no idea what I was doing, and it was all out of fun and respect for the character,” she said.
“I don’t even know how to talk about it because it’s such a sensitive topic. It makes me so sad to think that I was that dumb,” she went on.
“I learned a big lesson.”
Fortunately, fans found her apology to be genuine and were able to forgive her and move on.
But upon the recent shift of global climate, she has found her mistake to be more relevant than ever.
After sharing her support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement on social media, fans were quick to diminish her contribution by digging up some of her less than proud moments.
But in a recent Instagram live stream, Julianne spoke up again about the “shame” she has carried around over her blackface controversy.
Over the weekend Julianne hosted a workout class via Instagram live. But this was no ordinary class!
She made sure to dedicate the stream to black victims that have been recently murdered and not given proper justice, George Floyd, Ahmed Aubrey and Breonna Taylor.
She encouraged all of her viewers to express their anger over the racial injustices that we’ve been seeing so much of in America.
Then, in the second part of her stream (post-workout), she took a moment to discuss the extremity of racism these days, and how important it is that she recognizes her own privilege .
She, once again, admitted to her past mistakes, but explained that that isn’t the be-all-end-all.
She was able to educate herself, learn from her errors, and hopes that others would be inspired to follow her lead .
She also explained that it simply isn’t enough to be “non-racist” — and that she needs to, instead, be actively “anti-racist”.
She added that she is still curious and always looking for new ways to grow and improve herself .
What do you think of Julianne Hough’s recent statements regarding the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and her “shame” over past blackface controversy?
Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!
