Michael Bennett, the football star who decided he would protest the entire upcoming NFL season, hosted the family of Charleena Lyles Thursday at Seahawks training camp.
Michael Bennett is hosting the family of Charleena Lyles at Seahawks camp
Lyles was a mother of four who was killed by police in June.
@GBellSeattle via Twitter
Earlier this year, Lyles was killed by Seattle police. after they got a report of a woman who called and described a burglary at a local home. When police arrived, they said, the woman brandished a knife. Two white officers said they saw it and shot her dead.
Lyles had been several months pregnant and was struggling with mental health issues. Officers knew this and discussed it before killing her. Her family explained in June that she was killed because she was black.
“Why couldn’t they have tased her? They could have taken her down. I could have taken her down,” Monika Williams, Lyles’ sister, said then.
After her killing, Bennett led a benefit for her family with the NAACP and other local organizations. This goodwill gesture from Bennett falls in line with his many months of advocacy as an athlete for people of color who’ve experienced various forms of oppression just by being American.
In March, Bennett said he’d donate all of his 2017 endorsements to different organizations fighting to rebuild communities of color and empower women of color. Bennett said then some of the inspiration for this has come from Chance the Rapper:
“I was inspired by Chance the Rapper to ‘think bigger’ when he pledged one million dollars to Chicago kids and their school system,” Bennett said in a statement. “So, I’ll be joining him by investing in the future of our youth. The system is failing our kids, and it will be up to the community and our leaders to help keep the hope alive by focusing on improving our education system and the future of our kids. Any company that decides to invest in me, just know that you’ll be investing in opportunities and providing inspiration for these families -- many who feel unnoticed or go unmentioned.”
As Bennett begins his year of protest, he’s called on other athletes to follow his lead. He asked white athletes to join his anthem protest to spark change. The protests, in which he recently began sitting for the anthem, came because he said “I can’t stand right now. I can’t stand until I see equality and freedom.”
“At this point, I think if you’re being silent, you’re being dishonest,” Bennett told CNN. “And we can be silenced no more because we’re living in this reality where I can’t hide behind the logo on my helmet. I can’t hide behind the shield. I can’t hide behind the glamor and glitz of the NFL.”
Hosting Lyles was only one part of his day, though. Bennett also made some time to play catch with some kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation:
See More:
