The death of George Floyd and others due to police brutality has influenced protests and rallies around the country. The ongoing discussion regarding race in the United States has taken over headlines and social media as more attention has been given to these issue. Many NFL players have used their platform to highlight racial tension. Kansas City Chiefs rookie OT Lucas Niang is among the NFL players taking action.
Niang, along with his brother Ethan, organized a march with more than 1,000 participants in his hometown of New Canaan, Connecticut, in support of Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. The march took place on Thursday, June 4.
The event was met with plenty of support from the community in New Canaan. They also supported Niang along his journey to the NFL, celebrating him with a drive-by parade when he was selected by the Chiefs in the NFL draft. Niang spoke about the impact of being appreciated in his hometown with some local media members.
“This was awesome and everything I could have ever dreamed,” Niang told the Stamford Advocate. “I gave my heart and soul to this town and they paid me back. It lets me know that everything I have been doing isn’t for no reason. I have a lot of supporters and I am thankful for that.”
Above you’ll find a video of Niang leading Thursday’s march. He says the following two phrases into the megaphone as a call and response: “No Justice, No Peace” and “Black Lives Matter.”
Niang was the Chiefs’ third-round pick, selected 96th overall in April’s NFL draft. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive lineman, played collegiate at Texas Christian University after leaving New Canaan in 2016.
The Chiefs are one of many teams that have publicly voiced their support for black lives around the world. Niang’s efforts seek to raise awareness and understanding and impact change in the near future.
