Tank Lawrence On Jerry Jones' Civil-Rights Silence
FRISCO - Conventional wisdom has it that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' so-far silence on the civil-rights movement is noteworthy on many levels. But Cowboys standout defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is offering an alternative view.
"What kind of help do we need from Jerry? We need to stand on our own two feet, be the man we are supposed to be and build foundations and build centers to help our youth,'' Lawrence said.
Lawrence's position, expressed via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram during a rally and car caravan parade Saturday in Fort Worth in support of 93-year-old Opal Lee’s quest to make Juneteenth a national holiday, seems to be that the people who care are showing it. And the ones who don't ...?
“This whole situation has nothing to do with Jerry or anybody in Jerry’s position,” Lawrence said. “This is about us coming together and focusing on how we can make a change and how we can come together and be united.''
The issue of racial inequality has become headline news since the murder of George Floyd while in police custody last month. Our position is that we work on the assumption that the vast majority of Americans are in favor of equal rights, and that Jones will end up on the right side of history.
But Lawrence said, “This problem is too big to fix with one man ... I don’t see how one man in Jerry’s position or any of those types positions can make a change. The only thing they can do is give us money to make a change.''
That is a point worth debating; we can argue that the power and influence (and, yes, money) of Jerry Jones can move mountains. But one can't blame Tank Lawrence for not wishing to wait for any of that to happen, and to help the community that cares "come together.''
