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Pastor Robert Lee IV Spoke Against His Ancestor's Hate At The VMAs

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Pastor Robert Lee IV, a descendent of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Aug. 27. During his speech, he spoke against his ancestor's hate and denounced white supremacy. While most people are appreciative for his publicized stance, others are still asking "Who is Pastor Robert Lee IV at the VMAs?"

It's this simple: Pastor Robert Lee IV is a relative of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee who has very different views about racism and white supremacy than his late family members. It's been reported by Page Six that Pastor Robert Lee IV felt "obligated" to speak out about racism after rallies in Charlottesville took place, and it seems like the VMA stage was the perfect place to do so.

During his speech, he said,

We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism, and hate. As a pastor, it is my mortal duty to speak out against racism, America's original sin. Today I call on all of us with privilege and power to answer God's call to confront racism and white supremacy head on. 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.

Of course, viewers were super appreciative of Pastor Robert Lee IV's speech and used Twitter to show their support.

After Pastor Robert Lee IV finished his speech and made a call to action for those watching the show, he introduced the crowd to Heather Heyer's mother, Susan Bro. Bro spoke about her heroic daughter who died fighting for her beliefs during the rallies in Charlottesville, and left the audience in tears. Bro also presented the Best Fight Against the System award at the VMAs, which all six nominees ended up winning in honor of "many ways to show diversity” of social issues. Needless to say, each segment was emotional -- and to see a direct descendent of Robert E. Lee standing next to Susan Bro on stage was truly overwhelming.