Jordin Sparks on why she uses her voice to call out racial injustice: 'I have to say something'
Jordin Sparks recently opened up on why she is passionate about using her voice during this time.
When asked if she's ever felt "pressure to be non-political" as an entertainer, during an appearance on SiriusXM's "The Joe Madison Show" on Tuesday, the singer explained why she speaks out.
"This moment in time for me, especially being mixed, and especially having a black husband, and a son that the world is going to view as black as well -- even though he's got lighter skin and blue eyes, he's still going to be a black kid," she began. "And for me, it was just like, you know what? ... I cannot not say anything. I have to say something."
She said she's had hesitations when using her voice to comment on issues before because of her fear of "being misunderstood."
"I have been nervous to speak on things, a lot of times throughout my career," she admitted, adding that she "can't be afraid to offend people anymore."
The singer has been vocal in highlighting police brutality, protests across the nation and more black voices, artists and educators with her platform. In a post mourning the loss of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody on Memorial Day after former police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, she wrote about her own background.
"I'm 1/2 white, 1/2 black but in the eyes of the world, I am black," she captioned her post. "My dad is black, my brother is black, my nieces, my dad's side of my family, my husband & my son..."
"That could have been my dad. That could have been my brother. It could have been my cousin. It could have been my husband. And to know that is a very, very, heavy, heavy weight to carry," she said about George Floyd on Madison's show.
She also shared that in the future she feels she'll need to have conversations with her son, who is 2, about racial profiling. "I have to tell DJ one day that people will judge him just because he and his parents have melanin in their skin," she wrote on Instagram.
In her post, she also reflected on an experience her husband, Dana Isaiah, had when he was pulled over while driving home from the gym in a rental car because his car was getting fixed.
"For some reason, he was pulled over. It was dark & there were two officers. I remember him texting me & telling me that he was pulled over...my whole body buckled," she wrote. She said she was "terrified" for her husband's safety.
"Dana would never hurt anyone, has no priors, has worked hard & cared for whatever community he's in," she continued. "But that doesn't matter to racist people. They see his skin & think threat. Thankfully, he came home. But so many do not come home."
The singer asked her followers to demand justice and change. "If you are white, have black friends, spouses, lovers, kids, employers, pastors...this is your problem too," she wrote. "This is a call to you!!"
"Black people are hurting, tired, living in fear for their life & angry about it & you wonder why. We have been marching & calling & writing," she continued. "I have been in action calling the DA & will continue!! If you are white, we need you to USE YOUR VOICE and speak up about these injustices!"
