Justin Bieber Publicly Apologizesbr for Past Racist Remarks.br In a post to Instagram on Dec. 3, Bieber addressed hisbr “shortcomings,” saying his goal was to "take ownership.".br I'm determined this holidaybr season to take ownership of allbr my shortcomings and work on thembr for myself and the ones I love!, Justin Bieber, via Instagram .br According to the 25-year-old singer, his mistakes werebr due to being “uneducated” when he was younger.br When I was young I was uneducatedbr and found myself saying reallybr hurtful things not knowing thebr power of my words, Justin Bieber, via Instagram .br Bieber is reportedly referencing abr 2014 incident when video emerged ofbr him telling racist jokes as a teenager. .br He received a lot of br backlash during that time.br Bieber then used his postbr to directly reference racism,br saying he wanted to “usebr [his] voice” for good.