Alabama Athletes March Against Racial Injustice
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Led by Nick Saban and the University of Alabama football team, several hundred athletes, coaches and staff members took to the streets on Monday afternoon, marching against racial injustices and police brutality sparked by ongoing issues around the country.
Right behind Saban were senior running back Najee Harris and senior offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, both of whom had roles in organizing the event.
The march began at the Mal Moore Athletics Facility before moving down Paul W. Bryant Drive. The march then turned left onto Hackberry Lane and ended at the main entrance of Foster Auditorium, the same building that former Alabama governor George Wallace stood in front of in 1963 to make his stance known on desegregation.
As the athletes and coaches reached the front of Foster, several speakers took the opportunity to address the gathered crowd of supporters. Saban started by stating how everyone needs to play their part.
"Sports has always created a platform for social change," Saban said. "For each of us involved in sports I think we have a responsibility and an obligation to do that in a responsible way and use our platform in a positive way and try to create social change in positive ways.
"Through this process I've learned a lot from our players. I don't get to see the world through the same lens that a lot of our players do and I respect and appreciate the lens that they see the world in, live the world in."
Saban also took a moment to express his pride in his team.
"Today I'm like a proud parent," Saban added. "I'm proud of our team, I'm proud of our messengers over here [points to other speakers] and I'm very proud of the message."
Harris was the first of the players to stand behind the podium.
"This is not a problem that will simply come and go in a news cycle," Harris said. "This is not a problem that will eventually dissipate without action. Being here is a huge step.
"We certainly can't let this momentum die. This has to be an ongoing movement if some change happens. We must do more as a team and as individuals to keep this movement going."
After speaking on ongoing injustices, Harris called for a change in the justice system to better promote equality for all, as well as holding law enforcement officers accountable.
Alabama president Dr. Stuart R. Bell followed Harris and expressed his support.
"The university leadership, its faculty, its staff, our students stand with our student-athletes and we support your quest for social justice, equal rights, for equal opportunity and equal treatment of all people," Bell said. "Today is important as it demonstrates the seriousness of the issue but also your passion and your commitment to the issue on this very campus.
"We each have a role to play in advancing our campus. Be more welcoming, be more inclusive, be more fair. We can make a difference as well in advancing our state and our nation. As we've seen through history one man or one woman can have a profound impact, but a team working together can have an unlimited influence."
Redshirt-sophomore linebacker Jarez Parks gave the most emotional speech of all of the event's speakers.
Parks spoke from the heart, detailing his life as a young Black male and how, despite all that is said, being brought up in such a circumstance was different due to racial injustices.
"Every time I walk out of the door that's at my house and I have the chance to get back home, I have to thank God tremendously because I know walking out could be my possible last time," Parks said. "My life has been in a constant fear of being and knowing that no matter how educated, how intelligent, how skilled I am that my skin can be a perception-changer.
"We don't want revenge, we just want fairness and equality which is something that we can all achieve by togetherness."
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne was brief, and emphasized that there's still a lot of work to be done.
"As a department, we are committed to a diverse and inclusive environment with what we do on a daily basis," Byrne said. "Over the last few months with the social unrest I've learned through talking with our student-athletes, my colleagues and many others [that] there are many things that I've never had to think about. Regina, my wife, and I haven't had some talks with our boys that many others in our community have had to have such as what to do if they get pulled over. I never had to talk to my boys or worry about them being followed by security while shopping. I never thought that it could be dangerous for them to go out for a jog.
"What so many of us love about athletics is that historically they bring people together from all different backgrounds. What I want to ask is how can we take all that we love and the support that we feel in our stadiums, on our courts, in our pools and bring it together for one another in our daily lives?
"At the University of Alabama, we can help lead brining people together, united because of our student-athletes and the passion that everyone has for our great university."
Redshirt-senior offensive lineman Chris Owens echoed the sentiments of all that came before him, calling everyone to action like Harris and Byrne had stated:
"In sports, a team is a place where everyone has an equal opportunity to be successful and in order to get things done on the field of play we must all come together and unite as one," Owens said. "We must understand that mission that we are trying to accomplish and take the necessary steps to reach our goals.
"Now, look at the status of our country. Unlike the example of our team, our country is not a place of equality and of unity at the moment. Because of this, we are unable to accomplish the goals of a just society. I'm only a 22-year-old man, but the things I've seen and experienced in my life have been enough for me to grow tired of the struggles black people have to deal with in this society."
The final speaker of the event was Dr. G. Christine Taylor, UA's vice-president and associate provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She addressed the athletes directly, rather than the crowd.
"Not only do you give me bragging rights with my colleagues in the SEC with what you do on your respective fields, but today you give me bragging rights around what I see for the future of our campus," Taylor said. "The future of our nation, the future of our state. You come here today, you have stood tall and you have demonstrated.
"As a nation, we are in the midst of trouble. It's not new trouble, it's just highly-publicized trouble because the trouble for descendants of African-Americans began here in 1619."
Monday's march came after the death of Jacob Taylor at the hands of police in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 23, sparking a renewed national effort regarding police brutality and racial injustices.
Back in June, Alabama football released a powerful video concerning racial injustice with the caption “In this moment in history, we can’t be silent.” The two-minute video included Saban and was written by Leatherwood.
Alabama Football march for social justice, Aug. 31, 2020
