Luke Combs gave a sincere apology for his past use of confederate images on photos and videos. This was during a panel discussion at the Country Radio Seminar. He said, quote, "There's no excuse for those images.
"I'm not trying to say, 'This is why they were there and it's okay that they were there.' It's not okay. As a younger man that was an image I associated to mean something else. As I've grown, I'm aware of how painful that image can be to someone else.
"I never want to be associated with something that brings so much hurt to someone else. I apologize for being associated with that. Hate is not part of my core values."
What's next? Inclusivity is a good start and he's all for that. Quote, "I want people to feel accepted and welcomed by the country music community. I know that I'm a highly visible member of the community and I want to use that position for good.
"I want to say that people can change, and that people want to change, and I'm one of them. If you're an artist or anyone trying to do that, you should be able to talk about those things and feel comfortable having these conversations."
Maren Morris was also on the panel and she owned-up to her naive past. Quote, "I'm from Texas. This is just sheer ignorance and privilege, but I did not know that the rebel flag meant what it meant until I was 15 or 16 years old.
"That 'southern pride' thing, and 'the south will rise again,' those were just terms thrown around. There was no explanation behind it.
"I think [some] people who listen to country music don't know that either, the deeper meaning of what that flag symbolizes."
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