After publicly declaring "all lives matter" in September, Brody Jenner finally changed his tune. As a recap, Jenner sparked negative attention when he reportedly shared (and later deleted) a friend's Instagram post, which said the recent police shootings of Terence Crutcher and Keith Lamont Scott had "nothing to do with race." Not only that, but Jenner posted two photos of his dogs with the caption "#alllivesmatter" — very clearly missing the point of the Black Lives Matter movement and what it stands for. This understandably led to backlash. On Saturday, Jenner apologized for those comments and set the record straight. He called his previous statements "careless and misguided" and wrote on Instagram,
Having done more research into the Black Lives Matter movement, including reading a very informative editorial by @lmanisviney, I realize that my comments weren't thoughtful or substantiated. I spoke out of turn on a subject I wasn't particularly educated on.
Fortunately, the reality star took the time to learn from his misstep. The editorial that Jenner referenced is a story L-Mani S. Viney wrote for Vanity Fair called "Here's Why It Hurts When People Say 'All Lives Matter.'" While Viney's entire article is worth a read, here's a valuable excerpt:
Saying “Black Lives Matter” is neither separatist nor racist. It is not anti-white, and, contrary to what some in the media may say, it is definitely not anti-police... It is about promoting the love of self and African-American rights to equal justice and fairness.
That doubles as a perfect summary of why Jenner's words were offensive, even if that was not his intention.
In his Instagram caption, Jenner further elaborated,
It was never my intention to exacerbate an already contentious situation in our country. I am a firm supporter of the African American community and I am grateful that my mistake allowed me the opportunity to increase my own awareness of Black Lives Matter, and hope that going forward we can continue this conversation in a positive and peaceful way.
I appreciate that he took the time to right this wrong. He acknowledged that he spoke on something he didn't know enough about. Instead of lashing out at those who critiqued his statements, he read their words and learned an important lesson in the process. Really, that's all anyone can do. As a celebrity, what he says has power — whether he likes it or not. So, why not use that power in a well-articulate and researched way?
While Jenner's initial comments were problematic, this is certainly a step in the right direction and shows he took the situation to heart. He could have easily been embarrassed and stayed silent, but instead chose to speak up and make things right. Now, if only more people could have that same open-minded attitude.
