Kirk Franklin is using his social media platform to air out his grievance with the longstanding Dove Awards and its host television network Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). The 21-time Dove winner claims his acceptance speeches continue to be edited when he mentions police brutality as it pertains to the black community. In an Instagram video, Franklin used his recent reference of Atatiana Jefferson as an example of the censorship.
“Today I feel like quitting,” he said. “I am heartbroken that I even have to share this with you.” When Franklin won Best Gospel Artist at the Dove Awards in 2016, he addressed the “civil unrest” at the time of Philando Castille and Walter Scott’s deaths at the hands of law enforcement, and five Dallas officers that were killed by a sniper. Three years later after winning the same award, Franklin highlighted Jefferson’s murder but came to the realization that his recognition was edited out again.
After a meeting with the Dove Awards committee and TBN, Franklin opted to boycott the entities “until tangible plans are put in place to protect and champion diversity especially where people have contributed their gifts, talents, and finances to help build the viability of these institutions.”
Franklin continued to state how this gesture on Dove and TBN’s end affects the African American community. “Not only did they edit my speech, they edited the African American experience,” he added. According to TV One, a video on YouTube surfaced of Franklin’s unedited speech.
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