© Stan Szeto | 2020 Mar 8
As one of the few black players in the NHL, San Jose Sharks star forward Evander Kane has become the outspoken face of the league when it comes to speaking out on racial injustice, in the wake of another killing by police of an unarmed black man.
The death of George Floyd has led to widespread protests across the country for over a week. On Monday, Kane hopped on KNBR to reflect on the scenes from the demonstrations last weekend, and reiterate his passionate stance on the importance of racial inequality in this country.
Specifically, Kane called out those who try to silence black athletes and entertainers from speaking out, claiming they have too much money to relate to those who are struggling, as many did with Colin Kaepernick during his time in San Francisco.
“I would say that they’re dead wrong,” Kane began. “Just because you’re an athlete or celebrity or because you have money, there are a lot of people that don’t give a rats ass about that, who are racist or have racist ideals. When it comes to police, that’s not the first thing some officers see. It’s just a black man walking down the street.
“I was told from an early age — I’m half white, half black — the way my mom and dad put it to me when I was younger: ‘If someone saw you walking down the street and they were to describe you, would they say “oh there’s a white man walking across the street or there’s a black man walking across the street?”‘ I’m both, but the answer is ‘Oh, he’s black. That’s a black man walking across the street.’
“So that’s how it was put to me at an early age. I have tons of experiences, unfortunately, when it comes to racism in the last 11 years, the time since I’ve been a professional athlete on the NHL level. So if somebody were to come up to me and say that, I’d say it’s a bunch of bullshit.”
Listen to the full interview below.
