In the back of my head, I always replay the "If You Get Pulled Over" segment of "The Talk." Hands on the wheel. Follow all rules. Do not move unless you are told to do so. I used to believe that these rules could save my life until I was proven wrong. 
 
Freddie Gray. Philando Castille. Alton Sterling. Trayvon Martin. Sandra Bland. Walter Scott. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd. Michael Brown. Eric Garner. Breonna Taylor. Tamir Rice.

If I kept going, this page may never end, and that is the issue. This page in the United States history book never ends. What never ends is not being able to run in peace. What never ends is fighting for your breath while being publicly humiliated at the hands of another person. What never ends is trying to be a kid in the park. What never ends is running from your death. What never ends is minding your business, getting stopped by the police and instantly wondering if you are about to die or not. 
 
It is with deep frustration that after more than 401 years, African American people are still fighting to be more than three-fifths of a person in this country - fighting for a seat in a nation whose foundation sits on the backs of their ancestors. This is systemic. Same issue, same soil, just a different generation. Racism is not getting worse; racism is simply somewhat getting filmed. Evidently, video proof does not always result in justice or peace. The camera does not strip away the hardship, the uncertainty, the fear that being black is the harshest felony that results in an instant death sentence. I fear for my brothers who happen to fit the personas that seem to be the most prominent shooting target, and I fear that in the quickest manner, our lives can be condensed to a hashtag.
 
As an African American person, I understand that it is my duty and honor to be in a position in which I am able to voice my opinion regarding not only what I believe in, but what is unprejudiced and fair to all human beings. And, as an athlete, it is my privilege to wield my platform in order to do so. 
 
This is where change happens, and we are just getting started.
 
Congratulations, Tamir Rice. Graduating Class of 2020!