As a black man in country music, Jimmie Allen knows what it’s like to be unfairly singled out because of his race. But it wasn’t until the tragic death of George Floyd, and the protests and riots that ensued, that Jimmie vowed to not remain silent, now or ever, about something that is so important to him.

“When I first saw the George Floyd thing, right away I was like, ‘Wow,'” Jimmie Allen admitted on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. “Things hit you harder when someone looks like you. I pictured my son [Aadyn]; I pictured me. So, I was upset, you know? The one thing I’ve learned is, hateful words don’t welcome a listening ear, so I wanted to say something that would address the situation and how I felt, but also let people know sometimes to lead with love.”

Jimmie knows that the fight against racism is neither easy nor quick, but it’s an important battle for him to continue fighting, and hopes he can inspire others to do the same.

“I was talking to one of my buddies, a white guy that I grew up with, and he said, ‘Jimmie, what if you have someone that’s caught in the craziness and racism their entire life, and they don’t know any better, and they don’t have a black person that they know and see day to day? So whatever their parents say, or whatever they see on television, that’s the image they form. So now, when the world wakes them up to equality, and we’re all the same, not only do they have to process that, they have to go back and unlearn everything that they were taught.’

“I always tell people, my job is to be persistent, patient and have compassion, because really that’s the only thing you can ever do,” he added. “Hopefully one day we can see each other as equals.”

The father of two is both grateful for the Black Lives Matter movement, and also wary of people that aren’t doing it with the right motives.

“When people started putting up the black box, I was like, ‘Listen. The support is great, but it doesn’t mean anything if it’s empty,'” Jimmie reflected. “‘So when you say, ‘What’s the purpose of your black box? Is it just, if you have black friends, so they don’t get offended? Is it to make that person feel better? Or are you really trying to bring awareness?’ I tell people, when you post something, have a reason.”

Jimmie credits his upbringing with helping him not see the color of someone’s skin, regardless of their race or ethnicity, and admits he was shocked and disappointed to learn it isn’t that way everywhere in the country.

“The way I grew up in Delaware, I grew up in a bubble,” Jimmie said. “My best friends growing up were two white guys and a Mexican guy, and a black guy, which is my cousin Mike. We were all close. In our community, police officers did a lot of great stuff boys that didn’t have fathers.

“They’d take us out to get some food, because there was a time when my dad wasn’t in my life for a while,” he continued. “They’d hang out with us, they’d do things, but even in the midst of that greatness, my mom always reminded me. She said, ‘Hey, son, there are a lot of people in this world that are loving, but there might be some time in your life where someone might look at you different or treat you different because of the color of your skin.’ And I didn’t understand it for a long time, until I left Delaware and started traveling. I was like, ‘Ooh, I get it.'”

Much of the world might seem unsettled and dark right now, but Jimmie insists there is still plenty of good to be found.

“I tell people, there’s more love out there than there is hate,” Jimmie maintained.” It happens every night I’m on stage. I’m playing music as a country music artist, and I’m a black guy on stage with 2000 white people in the audience … There’s so much out there to really give you a different perspective if you really want it. Something that clicks in your mind and your heart, and it just hits you. You finally wake up to the realization that we’re equal.

“There’s no difference from me and the person sitting next to me,” he continued. “Any time you see something, put the face of someone you love on that person you see treated unjustly, and that will wake you up in a minute.”