Former Cleveland Browns Tackle Joe Thomas On Inequality: "I’ve learned that being “not racist” is just not good enough"

Joe Thomas is cemented in to Cleveland Browns history as one of the best lineman to ever play the game. Playing 11 seasons for the franchise, never missing a start until his last season when he decided to hang it up after a serious injury. Ask any former or current member of the organization that had the opportunity to play with him, they’ll tell you how great of a teammate he actually was.

Thomas put out a letter of sorts on The Players Tribune, to the people of this country, hoping they will fight racism the correct way. The former All-Pro said one line that sticks out “Just being not racist is not good enough”. A deep sentence that has a ton of meaning behind it. Thomas wants people to be anti-racist, to fight back against it and not be quiet.

https://t.co/yZwwI9AmYH
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) June 17, 2020

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First and foremost, I’ve learned that being “not racist” is just not good enough. White America must confront the fact that racism is real. We must empathize with those facing it, actively call it out, and bring it to light in all its forms. Over the past few weeks, during scores of conversations, I’ve noticed that my black friends are all telling me something similar right now. These are men and women from all walks of life; they come from the country, cities and suburbs of America.

They’ve attended the most expensive private schools and the most impoverished and broken public schools. They are Democrats and Republicans. They’ve come from wealth and they’ve come from extreme poverty. And they’re all telling me the same thing: They feel uncomfortable being black in America because of how they are treated on a daily basis.

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Thomas points out no matter the status of a black person, they’re still feeling uncomfortable, no matter if they’re rich or poor. It just doesn’t matter, there’s no equality across the board for everyone when there should be.

"Growing up in a predominantly white area of the predominantly white state of Wisconsin, it was, I’m sad to say, relatively easy for me to go through life without recognizing or reckoning with the obvious signs of racism. I honestly thought that since I didn’t associate myself with any people or groups who were outwardly racist, and I didn’t act in a way that struck me as racist, that this meant that I myself was not a racist, and that racism wasn’t a huge issue.

What I didn’t understand was that this country is immersed in racism — whether we see it or not. My family, friends and community members rarely spoke about race relations, or how people from different races have different experiences growing up in America. Race was a taboo topic. It was just something that you … didn’t discuss. I now realize that that was a deeply regrettable scenario, and that racism flourishes in exactly this way: by hiding behind apathy and lack of understanding among the masses."

As number 73 pointed out, he grew up basically around all white people. He didn’t get to see what it was like for black people to face these circumstances. Until college, Thomas really wasn’t around many people who were not white. That changed much more when he made it to the pros, where Thomas made friends and could hear their stories of racism that lives in this country.

The article that Joe Thomas posted to The Players Tribune shows why he not only was a hall of fame caliber player, but a person too. Using his platform to speak on racism and inequality is exactly what anyone with such platform should be doing. Definite applause to Thomas for the words he was able to put together, a great piece in all.

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