Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter says ‘It is time for racial hatred to end’
One week following the death of George Floyd, Miami Marlins CEO and former New York Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter in a statement Monday said it’s time for “racial hatred to end and to be unquestionably recognized and responded to with severe punishment.”
Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed black man, died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer drove a knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he was face down on the ground.
Jeter’s statement, in full, reads as follows:
“I am deeply saddened by the death of George Floyd and feel the pain and outrage it has caused his family and people throughout the world. This is a narrative that has happened far too often with us as people of color. It is time for racial hatred to end and to be unquestionably recognized and responded to with severe punishment.
“It’s encouraging to see people of all colors around the world speaking out and protesting another human tragedy that has too often been the death of a black person. No one should be excused from acts of racial hatred. Please do not allow anyone to demonize those who are standing up against these acts.
“I hope that my children and nephews don’t have to live in a society where people are unjustly treated because of the color of their skin.
“I hope that their white friends grow up to recognize that it is not only enough to verbalize their non-racist views, but also to participate at an active level to eradicate racism.
“I hope we can all denounce the insidious signs of racial hatred and take action as human beings.”
Marlins players respond
A pair of Marlins players also took to social media over the past week to react to Floyd’s death.
Pitcher Sterling Sharp, who is black, posted a photo that merely said the phrase “silence is so loud. The caption for the tweet: “For my non black ‘friends’ or people that care about me (a black man)... stand up for me and my family, my community, for us” with a black fist emoji at the end.
Pitcher Jordan Yamamoto, who is of Hawaiian descent, wrote two posts.
The first, on Friday: “I was taught to speak on things I know and understand. I was taught to love [your] neighbor as yourself. I was taught love and humility is the way humand should live their lives. So I may not know to the full extent or even understand the pain of the black community. But I stand with you. I stand to make a change for this world. A change that everyone needs to see, to recognize that the world isn’t where it needs to be. We need to be better and we need to not fight over issues but come together to bring peace among all. We need to love harder with less violence. We need to be one! As they say, ‘Spread ALOHA, not hate!’”
The second, on Saturday: “It takes more [than] the people affected by this situation to speak out. It takes more [than] the minorities to speak out. It takes everyone, involved or not. It takes everyone who has a soul for humanity to speak out. I, myself, am a minority but have not felt the lash as the black community does. But even though I am not affected I still believe it is wrong. It takes more [than] the minority community speaking out to make a difference. It takes everyone. So voice yourself. Make a positive change in this world WITHOUT violence! This has gone on for too long and we NEED to change!”
This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 12:44 PM.
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