Thomas Rhett, Lauren Akins condemn racial injustice amid George Floyd unrest, show love for adopted daughter
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thomas Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins opened up about being white parents to their daughter, Willa Gray, whom they adopted in 2017.
The two adopted their eldest daughter from an orphanage in Uganda in 2017 and in the midst of the nationwide protests condemning the police killing of George Floyd, they said they wanted Willa to be "proud" of her "brown skin."
Akins admitted she's been "nervous" to speak out "because of how some people believe that I as a white mother am undeserving or incapable of raising a black daughter."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THOMAS RHETT EXPLAINS WHY HE HIT BACK AT SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS MOCKING HIS WIFE LAUREN
But, she said she wanted to make sure now, and in the future, that Willa knew "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," Akins wrote on social media. "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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THOMAS RHETT, LAUREN AKINS WELCOME THIRD DAUGHTER
She continued, "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."
Rhett shared the same sentiment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“As the father of a black daughter and also two white daughters - I have struggled with what to say today,” the country star, 30, wrote. “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 wrote. “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.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He concluded, "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.”
Rhett and Akins also shared two other daughters: Ada James, 2, and 3-month-old Lennon Love.