So often, because he is a black man in an overwhelmingly white sport, Canaan Smith-Njigba will silence himself. He hears teammates in the Yankees’ organization, for whom he played left field last year for the Class A RiverDogs Charleston (SC), make what he calls a “borderline” remark. It’s never a battle, more like “Black Lives Matter is a terrorist group” or “Well, why did he not listen to the police?”
“You think, I’m the only one [Black person] over here. There is no one to support me, ”Says Smith-Njigba. ‘Just like all greats did, you have to bite on the tongue. But I no longer bite my tongue. “That’s why he tweeted, along with Chris Gittens, a black first baseman who played at Double A Trenton (NJ) last year, this afternoon at the organization to ask for support.
NBA players refused to play on Wednesday or Thursday to call attention to the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by police in Kenosha, Wis. WNBA players did the same. MLB players responded in a tougher way, watching the Reds-Brewers, Mariners-Padres and Dodgers-Giants games on Wednesday, along with A’s-Rangers, Nationals-Phillies, Twins-Tigers, Rockies-Diamondbacks and Red Sox-Blue Jays on Thursday. All teams whose games have been officially postponed have published statements supporting their players’ decision. According to other clubs, she is mulling over whether to play on Thursday.
The Yankees played a double header against the Braves on Wednesday and had a scheduled day on Thursday. The organization has not issued a statement on the protests surrounding sports. (A spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.)
“Really need my team to make a statement,” wrote Gittens, 25. “You have guys in your organization who need to see that you are with us and not about the money !!! Do not keep quiet !!!! ! #BLM ”(Gittens said through text,” I hope the Yankees will do what is right !!!! “)
Smith-Njigba, 21, quote-tweeted him, adding: “@Yankees be with us”
What would he like to hear?
“How simple it is that you are with us and you have our back,” says Smith-Njigba. “You have to remember, [right fielder Aaron] Judge is black, you have [center fielder] Aaron Hicks, you had [lefty] CC Sabathia, you have [DH Giancarlo] Stanton. ”
The Smith-Njigba clubhouses were always whiter. He estimates that there are seven or eight black players in the underage levels of the Yankees. In recent weeks, he says, his white teammates have reached out to him to ask him about his experiences as a black man in the US. He tried to explain to her what it’s like to stare in your rearview mirror and pray that the policeman is driving past you, after asking yourself if the parents of a white girl you like allow you into her house. Many of them never thought about what he was going through, because they never had to.
“A lot of my white teammates have opened their eyes,” he says.
Those conversations can be uncomfortable for anyone, but they are especially difficult at a minor level. On Thursday, in a Zoom call with journalists, Cardinal Judge Jack Flaherty of mixed race explained why he was only now, in his fourth year in the majors, starting to feel comfortable with his voice.
“It’s hard for the young boys,” he said. ‘It’s hard because you just want to go about your business and be in the league and then you’re like, OK, now I can focus on what I can do in the community, and that’s that point for me. row. And it’s hard to look back and be like, ‘Why have I done nothing so far? “
“I’m glad Jack said that,” Smith-Njigba said. ‘It’s very difficult because you’re scared. You feel like when you speak out, something will happen. If I take a knee that supports Black Lives Matter, [maybe] I’m going to be released. I did not make a name for myself. Sometimes I shy away from saying what I want to say, but now I can not keep it inside. I have to leave it out somehow. I have a voice. I have to use it. I need to use my platform. We need to do more. We can not just keep the minimum. We need to take a stand. ”
He’s still working on what that might look like. He would like to be more involved in raising money for causes that support Black communities. He talks a lot about Black Yankees Premier League coach Marcus Thames, who he says he texts daily, and he adds that the legend in New York and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, whom he calls Uncle Reg, are also very available. is for players. (“I call him the OG,” says Smith-Njigba, short for original gangster.) Still, Smith-Njigba notes that Thames is the only Black coach in the organization. He hopes the team can explore ways to bring in more black authority figures.
In the meantime, he just wants to hear the team say it supports him. He says he is not disappointed that the Yankees played on Wednesday – things went fast – but before returning to the field on Friday, he would like to see some indications that the franchise is taking care of its Black players.
“It would be great for you to use the platform you have because you are the New York Yankees,” he says. ‘You are a global figure. You could change lives by supporting the movement and educating people about what’s going on in the world. ”
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