ASU Adjunct Professor, Generations-Removed Nephew of Robert E. Lee Spoke at MTV Awards


Adjunct professor at Appalachian State and great, great, great, great nephew of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV spoke at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

A adjunct professor at App State and a generations-removed nephew of Robert E. Lee, Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV speaks at VMA awards on Sunday. Screen shot

On stage, Lee, who has supported the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue at his alma mater, Duke University, denounced hatred before introducing Susan Bro, the mom of Heather Heyer who died at the rally in Charlottesville, Va., protesting white supremacy.

“We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism and hate. As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, America’s original sin,” Lee IV said, according to Salon.

“We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the Women’s March in January, and especially Heather Heyer, who died fighting for her beliefs in Charlottesville,” he said.

Watch video of his short speech here.