The much-loved NFL Seahawks football player Richard Sherman has been an activist voice as well as a mentor for kids around the country. This week, Sherman spoke about recent player protests of “taking knee” and “taking arms” to stand together with hopes of bringing awareness to the plight of people of color in this country. Coinciding with the recent police shootings of black men this week, Sherman said in a press conference this week:
“I’m not going to answer any questions today, and it’s no offense to you guys, but I think the state of things in the world today is very interesting,” Sherman told reporters. “You have players that are trying to take a stand and trying to be aware of social issues and trying to make a stand and increase people’s awareness and put a spotlight on it, and they’re being ignored. Whether they’re taking a knee or whether they’re locking arms, they’re trying to bring people together and unite them for a cause.”
It’s hard to deny the truth when it’s all on videos for the word to see. Yet some people still miss the point of the protests.
“I think the last couple days, a couple more guys have gotten shot and killed in the middle of the street,” said Sherman, who later continued the conversation with reporters in the locker room prior to practice. “More videos have come out of guys getting killed, and I think people are still missing the point. The reason these guys are kneeling, the reason we’re locking arms is to bring people together to make people aware that this is not right. It’s not right for people to get killed in the street.
The football cornerback expresses his frustration in how to encourage kids of color when the odds seem to be against them.
“I do a lot of community service, I go out there and try to help kids and try to encourage them to be better and to aspire to more. And when you tell a kid, ‘When you’re dealing with the police, just put your hands up and comply with everything,’ and there’s still a chance of them getting shot and (there are) no repercussions for anyone, that’s an unfortunate time to be living. That’s an unfortunate time to be in. There’s not a lot you can tell a kid. There’s not a lot you can say to inspire a person when you say, ‘Hey, we need black fathers to be in the community to stay there for your kids,’ but they’re getting killed in the street for nothing, for putting their hands on their cars. That’s the unfortunate place that we’re living in, and something needs to be done. So when a guy takes a knee, you can ignore it, you can say he’s not being patriotic, he’s not honoring the flag. I’m doing none of those things. I’m saying it straight up—this is wrong, and we need to do something.”
It’s encouraging to see prominent athletes/celebrities speak out for a good cause, especially when it’s about a controversial issue. They can have an influence over people who admire them and who might normally not listen or care about the issue. On the downside, there is a risk that comes with celebrities who take on protests. They can lose some, or the majority, of their fan base. But when the cause is for the common good, new fans usually emerge and replace those who left, and a new respect is garnered. Thank you to Richard Sherman and all those willing to take that risk.
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