LeBron James is one of the many athletes speaking out on the death of George Floyd, a man who was killed after being pinned to the ground by a Minnesota police officer. The officer held Floyd face down against the pavement with his knee in the back of Floyd’s neck.
Throughout the viral video, you can hear Floyd pleading for his life and saying that he was unable to breathe.
Floyd’s death is the latest showing of police brutality that has gone viral on social media. Many users immediately called for the police officers involved to be fired, while others like LeBron used this as a reminder of Colin Kaepernick’s message.
“Do you understand NOW!!??!!?? Or is it still blurred to you?? #StayWoke,” LeBron wrote on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAq3fpCgyve/?utm_source=ig_embed
Kaepernick very publicly protested racial inequality and systemic racism in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem. Kaepernick was widely criticized for his protests and has not played in the NFL since. But, when we see stories like the George Floyd incident, we are reminded of Kaepernick’s cause.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said, via NFL.com. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.
“This is not something that I am going to run by anybody. I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed. … If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.”
Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 preseason.
