Minnesota native Cam Jordan advocates for change after George Floyd's death
"The unfortunate killing of George Floyd is the culmination of a long time of people bringing all types of strong fears and emotions to the very brim." - Saints DE Cameron Jordan
Athletes from across the country have voiced their thought on the death of George Floyd but for Cameron Jordan, the passing hits close to home. Jordan, 30, was born in Minneapolis, MN while his father was playing TE for the Minnesota Vikings (1982-1994). Though he only spent a few years in Minnesota prior to moving to Arizona, Jordan still calls Minnesota home. "My dad [Steve Jordan] played in Minnesota for 13 years. I was born in Minnesota... we still have family and friends back home."
Following the arrest of Officer Derek Chauvin on May 30th, Jordan spoke to WWL about his thoughts and emotions over the past week.
During, such confusing times the Saints DE thinks about his own young family. Jordan has three children, two daughters, and a son, and he understands the dangers they will face as they continue to grow-up in America.
"That is the next level of how troublesome this is, to know that one day my beautiful four-year-old son Tank... he's huge... to then know what he is going to go through."
"To have to tell him time and time and over again to tell him, 'Do the right thing. Do everything the right way and go beyond your reason to let everybody know that you are not a threat just because you are who you are.' That is going to be the toughest battle."
- Cam Jordan on the fear of his children's safety as young African-Americans
The former first-round pick called for people of all races to come together to create change across America. Stating that Americans could not spread the message through looting, rioting, or arson. The message is “please stop killing us [African-Americans]”.
"It is going to take the masses, it's not going to be solely the African America community that is going to garner the attention necessary, It's going to take a multitude of different facets of people to come together and abolish this ideal, this notion that we are not all equal... this should be a time for us to come together."
Jordan's teammate DB Malcolm Jenkins joined a peaceful protest this week in Philadelphia where he has played the last six years of his career. Jenkins spoke out via Twitter two days after Floyd's death, "For who is going to protect us from those who are in charge us, who aren't doing that, who are taking our lives. Who protects us from the police. That is the dilemma that you have placed on the black community."
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