University of Alabama student-athletes took part in a “March for Change” in Tuscaloosa on Monday, led by football coach Nick Saban.
The event was in protest of police brutality against Black men and women, and occurred a week after the Wisconsin police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Saban, the Crimson Tide footballers, coaches, staffers and other athletes, marched on campus from the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility to Foster Auditorium, where segregationist Gov. George Wallace blocked two Black students from entering in 1963, per WVTM.com.
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Similar marches have been held at schools such as Oklahoma, Kansas, Duke, Baylor, Mississippi and Mississippi State.
“For certain, we can’t let this momentum die,” Crimson Tide tailback Najee Harris said. “This has to be an ongoing movement until change happens.
He added, “We must do more as a team and as individuals to keep this movement going.”
During the demonstration, Harris wore a T-shirt with the message “Defend Black Lives.”
Several players held signs with messages about “Black Lives Matter” and one sign read “Until Black Lives Matter” on the front and “All lives can’t matter” on the back.
“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 obligation to do that in a responsible way and use our platform in a positive way to 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 players do, that they live the world in,” he continued.
“Today, I’m like a proud parent,” Saban said outside Foster Hall after leading the march. “I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of our messengers and I’m proud of our message.”
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