The proud parents shared a pair of posts to Instagram on Sunday opening up about their commitment to making change and creating a better world for their little girl. Akins penned a moving message about loving and caring for her daughter -- whom she and Rhett adopted from Uganda in 2017.
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"I have been nervous to post anything in the past and even now because of how some people believe that I as a white mother am undeserving or incapable of raising a black daughter," Akins wrote. "I believe that shaming comes from people who choose to see only my white skin and her brown skin and refuse to see our hearts and love for each other."
Despite her trepidation to share her heart on social media, Akins said she wants Willa "to be VERY sure that I am HER mother who stands up not only for her, but for every single person who shares her beautiful brown skin."
"I want to be her mother who raises her to know what it means to have brown skin and to be proud of it," she wrote, in part. "Because the truth is: I AM HER mother who FIGHTS for her. I am her mother who celebrates not only WHO she and her two sisters are, but WHOSE they are and exactly who God created them to be."
Akins went on to address the incidents of racial injustice that have sparked protests across the nation, including the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and said she felt that it would be "disobedient to God if I don’t speak up against injustice and fight for change."
"I believe if I stay silent I am betraying my daughter. I believe if I stay silent I am betraying the heart of God. Don’t stay silent. Fight. Use the most powerful weapon of all: love," she continued. "Together, let’s be an army for love. That means speaking up loudly for injustices whether or not we share the same skin color, language, beliefs...the list goes on."
Rhett -- who also shares 2-year-old daughter Ada and 3-month-old daughter Lennon with Akins -- also shared a heartfelt post in which he admitted that "as the father of a black daughter and also two white daughters" he has "struggled" with how to address this climate and the situation and what to say.
"We have navigated forms of racism directly and while there is mostly overwhelming support and love for our family, sometimes there is just the opposite," the country crooner wrote in a message posted to Instagram on Sunday. "Because of that fear, it can be a lot easier to choose silence, but today I’m choosing to speak."
"I have no clue what it feels like to be profiled by authorities, treated negatively or have my life threatened because of the color of my skin," Rhett continued. "When I witnessed the horrific murder of George and think about the mistreatment of other black men and women in America, I am heartbroken and angry."
"What happened to George was pure hate. We are all created by the same God. I pray for a change in heart of those hearts who have been overcome by hatred and hardened," he wrote. "I pray for a deeper understanding for myself and awareness of the experience of mistreatment that those of another skin color go through."
Rhett went on to say that he is scared for his daughters and the "kind of world they will be growing up in."
"It's my JOB as a father is to show them how to lead with love in the face of hate. To know their worth and value as not only women but human beings."
"So if there is any question on where I stand let me be clear- I stand with you, I stand with George and his family and all those who have faced racism. I stand with my wife and my daughters. We will be fighting this fight for the rest of our lives," Rhett concluded. "Rest In Peace, George. We are not letting this go."
