They weren’t just going to take the day off.
Sports teams across the U.S. went on strike last week in solidarity with social and racial justice advocates. It started with professional teams, but college sports followed - including players at Texas Tech University.
More than a dozen student-athletes on the Texas Tech Football team tweeted a statement on Thursday in solidarity with athletes across the country striking games and practices in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The post states athletes would not attend the regular Friday practice and would instead use the day to talk about racial issues and ways the players can lead change in the community.
"We know many in Red Raider Nation will not understand nor support these actions, however, we ask that you respect our right to peacefully protest with the same energy that you cheer for us during the season," the statement reads. "The very blood that fuels the heart we display every Saturday on the field, also stimulates our minds to be the change we want to see in this world. We are at a point in time when the two can no longer be separated."
The team met with university and city leaders on Friday and planned a day of service in East Lubbock, a mostly Black and Hispanic community. Students from across the Texas Tech Athletics program played with kids, picked up trash and helped register people to vote at Butler Park Saturday afternoon.
Community Leader AJ McCleod works with kids in East Lubbock daily. He said interacting with the athletes will be influential for them.
“They look like them, and they talk like them, and they come from the same background. Their hair’s the same," McCleod said. "I think it’ll give them a sense that they can do it.”
Student-athletes from across the program partipated, including members of the softball, women's soccer and volleyball teams. Coaches and Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt also attended.
When the athletes first arrived at the park, they were encouraged to register to vote if they weren't already. They were then given service assignments for the afternoon, with most playing with the neighborhood kids. Basketball, volleyball and kickball games led to laughs from all.
Volunteers cleaned up flower beds and the playground at the Parkway Sommerville Center, an after-school facility. People also picked up litter at Butler Park.
At the busy intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Parkway Drive, athletes held signs stating “Let Our Voices Be Heard,” “Be the Change” and “Black Lives Matter.”
