After fatal shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Charlotte, North Carolina, Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae took to Twitter to express their unease and intolerance for such situations, namely speaking to the two most recent lives lost at the hands of police: Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott.
Lecrae tweeted a news article from BBC on Monday and added a thought of his own: "We weren't made to become hashtags," before hashtagging #TerenceCrutcher -- making a statement about the regularity and normalcy of how a life lost becomes a trending topic.
Additionally, he tweeted: "Take a knee...people riot. Take a bullet...people quiet," which has been liked over 65 thousand times.
HelloChristian additionally reported that back in July, following the police shooting of Pilando Castile, he posted this powerful message to Instagram.
"The #AllLivesMatter hashtag is like spitting in the face of black folk. It comes off as extremely selfish and unsympathetic to a mourning person. Not because all lives don't matter. Of course they do. But it's very clear that black lives don't to many in this country. No one goes up to lung cancer patients and says 'Folks with Breast cancer matter too!' #AllCancerPatients matter. That's Insensitive. True faith stands up for the oppressed and the broken. Obviously many can't see the systemic effects of racism and abused authority.
Many can't see that racism has stained this country because they are privileged to not see it. Also Christians saying that 'preaching the gospel is all we need' ignores how sin affects infrastructures and societal systems. They project blame on themselves when they see these kinds of posts. You assume my anger is at white people and not white supremacy. No there are many "woke" white folks out here. Allies and friends. But if you ever trusted in anything I've said, if you've used my words to stir your hope or joy, then trust that same voice now. This is an epidemic that school books or church services haven't taught you. And listen if you really really hate this post you are always free to unfollow me. I'll still love you."
HipHopdx.com noted that if you saw Lecrae's social media on July 4, it was eerily foreboding of the week to come. The Church Clothes rapper posted a picture on Twitter of slaves working a cotton field saying, "My family on July 4th 1776." The post was received with mixed response, with many questioning why he was not celebrating America's independence from tyrannical Great Britain.
Days later, tensions between Black and White were fierce in the wake of the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two Black men who were shot and killed at the hands of police officers. This was followed by a shooting in Dallas that left five police officers dead.
Following those deaths, Lecrae penned a guest essay for Billboard, in which he advocated that humility is the key to understanding race relations.
"I am hurting. For every life loss, I am hurting.
I want people to know that [racism] is bigger than just caring for your community. This is a moral issue across the board for humanity. If you subscribe to any moral code that says you should care for humanity, obviously black people will fit into that category. So why would you not advocate for justice and truth unless you have something to lose?"
