The death of George Floyd in police custody on Monday, and the video of a Minneapolis police officer putting his knee on Floyd’s neck for seven minutes while he yelled “I can’t breathe,” drove many athletes to speak out about their feelings regarding institutional racism and the effects of aggressive, brutal policing.
Floyd’s death spurred riots in Minneapolis, and on Friday morning CNN journalist Omar Jimenez was arrested along with his producer and cameraperson while covering the riots on live TV. With the riots spreading to several other cities and President Trump calling protesters “thugs” on Twitter, athletes are continuing to use their platform to educate people about how racism affects black people and people of color everywhere, and to show solidarity with those who experience that racism every day.