DeAndre Yedlin has taken to Twitter to share an emotional message he received from his grandfather in light of the George Floyd tragedy in the US.
Protests have turned into riots across the US in response to the unprovoked murder of George Floyd, a black man living in Minnesota, at the hands of white police officer Derek Chauvin.
This has sparked international debate and raised awareness towards Black Lives Matter, a human rights movement set up to campaign against police brutality against African Americans in the United States.
Our own American full-back Yedlin has released a thread on social media to reveal a powerful conversation he had with his grandfather in light of the recent events. Read it in full below his opening tweet:
‘A couple days after George Floyd’s death, my grandfather texted me and told me he’s glad that I am not living in the U.S. right now because he would fear for my life as a young black man. As days have passed, this text from my grandfather has not been able to leave my mind.
‘He was born in 1946, lived through the civil rights movement, lived through some terribly racist times in U.S. history, and now 70 years later he STILL fears for the life of his black grandchild, in the country he and his grandchild were born in the country his grandchild represents when he plays for the United States, in the country his grandchild represents when he’s playing in England.
‘I remember being in elementary school, and having to recite the Pledge of Allegiance which ends “with liberty and justice for all.”
‘Every American needs to ask themselves, is there “liberty and justice for all” and if their answer is yes, then they are part of the problem.
‘In no way are we asking black lives to matter more than white lives, all we’re asking is we are seen as equal, as more than 3/5 of a man, as humans.
‘My heart goes out in solidarity to George Floyd, his family, and all of the countless number of victims that have had their lives taken at the hands of meaningless police brutality.‘
The current first-team squad showed a unilateral sign of support for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement in an image released by our club’s official Twitter page – something which was believed to have been instigated by club captain Jamaal Lascelles:
Shocking shocking shocking god bless your grandfather my thoughts are with him and many others
Larry Lauri(Quote)