Kirk Franklin’s TBN & Dove Awards: Lecrae, Marvin Sapp & Others Join

Gospel superstars such as Lecrae, Marvin Sapp, Natalie Grant and others are stepping out in support of Kirk Franklin‘s boycott of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), the Gospel Music Association and the Dove Awards until they address diversity concerns following an incident that happened at the awards ceremony earlier this month.

Franklin charged that TBN removed parts of his acceptance speeches in 2016 as well as the one from the 2019 ceremony where he advocated for racial justice and reconciliation, most notably in the wake of the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson by a Fort Worth police officer. The officer has been charged with murder in the case.

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Franklin said that when he approached representatives from all respective organizations about the situation, he was not given a response to his liking. The GMA has issued a statement saying it is working towards addressing his concerns. Lecrae joined the boycott not long after Franklin made his statement.

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A post shared by Kirk Franklin (@kirkfranklin) on Oct 28, 2019 at 7:27am PDT

“I only came cause you came. You know I’m out,” Lecrae responded to Franklin’s post. Grant added, “Love and respect you so much. Thank you for using your platform to speak truth in love, and always with a spirit of humility. You’re consistently calling us toward unity.”

Pastor John Gray of Relentless Church in South Carolina said, “You’ve been my brother since I was 22. I know exactly what you feel. I not only support you — I agree. The selective editing of your content — especially right now — cannot be overlooked. Change MUST HAPPEN NOW. I stand with you.”