Trevor Lawrence isn’t worried about losing fans while being vocal against racism
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is aware that some fans disagree with his decision to be so vocal while speaking out against racism, and to those people Lawrence has a message: good riddance.
“It’s important for us to stand up for something. It’s easy to stay quiet because some people don’t want to make people mad,” Lawrence said. “But my thoughts on it are — those aren’t the kind of fans, followers, whatever (that) you want, if it makes them mad if you stand up for equality.”
The Tigers star and arguably the face of college football, Lawrence first spoke out about George Floyd’s death and the need for change on Twitter May 29, four days after Floyd died when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes.
“There has to be a shift in the way of thinking. Rational must outweigh irrational. Justice must outweigh injustice. Love must outweigh hate. If you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and you don’t like how it feels — that’s when you know things need to change,” Lawrence posted.
“I’m siding with my brothers that deal, and continuously deal, with things I will never experience. The injustice is clear... and so is the hate. It can no longer be explained away. If you’re still ‘explaining’ it — check your heart and ask why.”
Lawrence not only posted on social media about there needing to be a change, he took steps towards trying to make a difference.
The rising junior joined teammates Darien Rencher, Mike Jones and Cornell Powell in organizing a Clemson Community Peaceful Demonstration, which was held Saturday in Clemson.
Lawrence marched with his teammates, coaches and other members of the community before speaking to the crowd of about 3,000 people on hand.
“Recently I’ve realized that the America that I experience is different from the America that my brothers and sisters experience,” Lawrence told the crowd. “I’m on the journey now of discovering how I can use my voice, platform and influence to lift others up and stand for those who shouldn’t have to stand alone.”
Lawrence told the media before Saturday’s protest that he and his teammates are planning more ways to try to continue to make a difference moving forward.
“This isn’t just a stance that we want to take for one day and forget about it and move on with our lives. We really want to fight for this every day. And that’s really the commitment that we’re making by doing this today,” Lawrence said.
“I feel like just with my platform it’s somewhat my responsibility to speak up for people whose voices have kind of been silenced for a long time. And then also with that my brothers, they’ve had a huge influence on my life, and seeing how this has affected them has also affected me... I want my kids to one day live in a world where everyone is equal.”
