Kirk Franklin‘s boycott TBN For Racial Injustice
Gospel superstars such as Lecrae, Marvin Sapp, Natalie Grant and others are stepping out in support of Kirk Franklin‘s boycott of (TBN), the network that airs the Dove awards , Franklin said that TBN removed parts of his acceptance speeches in 2016 and 2019, where he advocated for racial justice and reconciliation.
After calling for prayers for a Fort Worth, Texas woman was killed by a police officer the weekend of the awards show, the “Love Theory” singer said history is repeating itself. A similar incident happened when he won the award in 2016 and was told he would not be censored again.
“During that [2016] awards speech, I felt the responsibility as a Christian and a man of color, to address the civil unrest at that time that was plaguing our country with the killings of Philando Castile and Walter Scott, just to name a few, by white police officers, and at the same time the horrific killing of five Dallas police officers by an African-American,” Franklin said in a video on Instagram.
While he said he isn’t calling on anyone to join him, he has garnered support from Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King, as well as fellow artists Rapper Lecrae, Marvin Sapp, contemporary Christian artist Natalie Grant and an avalanche of other gospel and secular artists.
The Gospel Music Association said in a statement it’s working toward addressing Franklin’s concerns.
