Troy Polamalu is a man who appreciates the ability to live a relatively private life. While he is a very thoughtful person, he has never attempted to abuse his platform in any way, and has respected the role that he shares with fans. It’s only one of the many things that has made him among the most beloved members of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization in its entire history.
So when he does take the opportunity to speak, you know that it is going to be about something significant. He broke his silence last night via Twitter to comment upon the murder of George Floyd and the protests that have risen up as a response.
“No American has faced more injustice, oppression, and abuse caused by systemic racism than African Americans”, he wrote in a text graphic. “When other disenfranchised communities associate their struggles with the atrocities the African American community has faced since the inception of our country, and continue to face, it diminishes the cause for equality”.
— Troy Polamalu (@tpolamalu) June 3, 2020
Despite his revered status, Polamalu received some pushback for his message, on both sides of the politics spectrum, including those pointing out the colonial extermination of indigenous Native American tribes and the country’s continued treatment of their descendants.
“In no way am I turning a blind eye to the injustices that other ethnic groups suffered or suffer in America”, he added in follow-up Tweets. “However, it is paramount at this time to separate the African American experience of inequity from any other disenfranchised groups. It is essential to recognize that the purpose of slavery was to dehumanize African Americans for centuries by taking and denying slaves any dignity, personhood, or identity. This paved the way for the institution of systematic racism that has suppressed African Americans rights today”.
My own city in which I have lived my entire life was once upon a time one of the principle port cities of the eastern seaboard and played a critical role in the slave trade, which enabled the region to populate itself with over 10,000 slaves by the dawn of the 19th century.
Polamalu said that this experience is “unique only to African Americans” within the conversation of the ‘disenfranchised communities’ that he earlier referenced, and said that it “demands a narrow scope of understanding that in order for black lives to matter, it can only be about black lives”.
He called it a “great tragedy” to group bigoted experiences of all marginalized groups into one homogenous mass, saying it is “a symptom of privilege”. He concluded by saying that “recognizing and separating the distinct needs of said communities will be a first step towards change”, and that the immediate need in America is to “address racism towards African Americans as a real threat towards all communities fighting for equality”.
In no way am I turning a blind eye to the injustices that other ethnic groups suffered or suffer in America. However, it is paramount at this time to separate the African American experience of inequity from any other disenfranchised groups. It is essential to recognize that the
— Troy Polamalu (@tpolamalu) June 3, 2020
purpose of slavery was to dehumanize African Americans for centuries by taking and denying slaves any dignity, personhood, or identity. This paved the way for the institution of systematic racism that has suppressed African Americans rights today.
— Troy Polamalu (@tpolamalu) June 3, 2020
This is unique to only African Americans, which demands a narrow scope of understanding that in order for #blacklives2matter it can only be about #blacklives.
— Troy Polamalu (@tpolamalu) June 3, 2020
I believe it’s a great tragedy to lump racist, xenophobic, hateful, oppressive, genocidal experiences together. This quite honestly is a symptom privilege that has lead all minority communities into cyclical poverty.
— Troy Polamalu (@tpolamalu) June 3, 2020
I’m merely suggesting, that by recognizing and separating the distinct needs of said communities will be a first step towards change. Right now in America, we need to address racism towards African Americans as a real threat towards all communities fighting for equality.
— Troy Polamalu (@tpolamalu) June 3, 2020
