Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins are speaking out on how important it is for their daughter, Willa Gray, to know that they will always stand up “for every single person who shares her beautiful brown skin.”
The couple both took to Instagram to address the death of George Floyd and got candid about the racism they have personally faced after adopting their daughter Willa from Uganda back in 2017.
“As the father of a black daughter and also two white daughters- I have struggled with what to say today,” the country singer wrote of his 4-year-old and his other two children, Ada, 2, and Lennon, 3 months. “We have navigated forms of racism directly and while there is mostly overwhelming support and love for our family, sometimes there is just the opposite. Because of that fear, it can be a lot easier to choose silence, but today I’m choosing to speak.”
“I have no clue what it feels like to be profiled by authorities, treated negatively or have my life threatened because of the color of my skin. When I witnessed the horrific murder of George and think about the mistreatment of other black men and women in America, I am heartbroken and angry,” he said. “I get scared when I think about my daughters and what kind of world they will be growing up in and how my JOB as a father is to show them how to lead with love in the face of hate. To know their worth and value as not only women but human beings.”
The “Be A Light” singer also shared that he was praying “for a change of heart of those hearts who have been overcome by hatred and hardened.”
“I pray for a deeper understanding for myself and awareness of the experience of mistreatment that those of another skin color go through. I pray for the families of those who have lost their lives to violence or experienced trauma at the hand of racial oppression and injustice,” he wrote. “What can we do? I ask myself this question every day. We each have to be part of the solution and we have to continue to educate ourselves, continue to support both financially and with service those organizations doing good work in our communities to overcome injustice and hatred in our country. And if you’re like me, continue to pray.”
Concluding, “So if there is any question on where I stand let me be clear- I stand with you, I stand with George and his family and all those who have faced racism. I stand with my wife and my daughters. We will be fighting this fight for the rest of our lives. Rest In Peace, George. We are not letting this go.”
Meanwhile, Thomas’ wife Lauren opened up about her experience being a white mother to a black child. She admitted that she had been “nervous” to open up “because of how some people believe that I as a white mother am undeserving or incapable of raising a black daughter.”
“I believe that shaming comes from people who choose to see only my white skin and her brown skin and refuse to see our hearts and love for each other,” she wrote.
Adding, “That shaming has created such anxiety in me that I am afraid to share my heart on social media. But as her mother, I want her to be VERY sure that I am HER mother who stands up not only for her, but for every single person who shares her beautiful brown skin. I want to be her mother who raises her to know what it means to have brown skin and to be proud of it. I want to be her mother who doesn’t listen to the shaming of skin colors but instead listens to the Spirit of God who knitted every skin color together in their mother’s womb for His glory. Because the truth is: I AM HER mother who FIGHTS for her. I am her mother who celebrates not only WHO she and her two sisters are, but WHOSE they are and exactly who God created them to be.”
The mother of three also noted that she felt the need to “speak up against injustice and fight for change.”
“I believe if I stay silent I am betraying my brothers and sisters. I believe if I stay silent I am betraying my daughter. I believe if I stay silent I am betraying the heart of God. Don’t stay silent. Fight. Use the most powerful weapon of all: love. Look to the One who created that weapon and follow His lead. Together, let’s be an army for love. That means speaking up loudly for injustices whether or not we share the same skin color, language, beliefs…the list goes on.”