New England Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett has garnered a lot of attention lately, and it’s not just because he was a contributor to his team’s Super Bowl win.
Patriots TE Martellus Bennett gives his perspective on being black in America
Bennett took to Twitter to let his thoughts flow.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Bennett said after the Super Bowl that he plans to not attend the White House because he doesn’t support Donald Trump. That’s rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but Bennett is sticking by his decision, and has even been joined by teammate Devin McCourty. The two protested during the national anthem with raised fists earlier this year, to raise awareness for the oppression that African-Americans face in the United States.
On Tuesday night, Bennett went on Twitter in a string of insightful tweets. For many, it might offer a different perspective on the life of a black athlete.
Bennett starts by establishing that his identity encompasses both parts of the term ‘black athlete’
Bennett starts early by acknowledging the historical denial of education from black Americans.
Bennett isn’t worried about what people are going to say about him online, and that he’s here to just spread his message.
He then brings the historical context to his first tweet
For anybody who may have been lost early, Bennett makes things clear when he talks about people getting mad because he found books. In the past, African-Americans were denied these, and including learning how to read and write, as he points out.
He then gets into the fact that not everything has to be about sports
Bennett starts getting into the fact that he’s not looked at as a whole person. He’s looked at as a football player, and nothing more, without regard to the other parts of his identity.
On top of that, Bennett talks wanting to give young African-Americans more options
He wants young African-Americans to realize that there’s more to life than sports. At the same time, he wants to be able to build society and help make that idea become a greater reality for some. Young African-Americans can be anything that they want.
He finishes this with a powerful message, saying that, “They can’t tear down your mind.”
He indicated that he wants to use his platform as a Super Bowl winning athlete to give voice to the rest of his message.
Bennett refuses to let societal limitations prevent him and others from trying to be their best
Bennett knows that he comes off as a jokester, but he’s got greater ambitions
In responding to somebody who said that they needed to buy a Martellus Bennett jersey because of the tweets, he redirected them:
Bennett is going to keep facing backlash for his refusal to attend the White House, and sticking up for what he believes in. He’s said that he doesn’t care what detractors say, and that he’s going to continue to use his platform for good. That’s exactly what he did by tweeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Whether other users followed his message or not, it was heard. As an athlete on a Super Bowl winning team, it gets magnified even just a little bit more because of it.
But as he said himself, he’s more than just that.
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