A’s second baseman Tony Kemp put out a message on Twitter letting those know he was there for anyone who wanted to be educated on what was going on currently in the world.
There are peaceful protests being held everywhere in support of Black Lives Matter since the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis law enforcement on May 25.
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SIGN UP HERE Kemp wanted to make himself available to those who have questions about race.
He personally reached out to people responding to his tweet -- those who wanted to be educated and those who wanted to be better and do better.
Kemp also wanted to make it known the things he has heard or been told, might have appeared to be casual, but actually were inappropriate.
“Even when I would talk to adults, it was ‘You don’t talk black, you don’t dress black,’” Kemp told Infield Chatter in an interview. “I guess backhanded comments -- I wanted to educate people on, are actually kind of offensive.”
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The 28-year-old explained how he’s not typically one for conflict, but this was a time for him to speak up. He even had a conversation with someone who said “All Lives Matter,” and ended up having a successful conclusion.
“The person actually changed -- the person actually said, ‘You know what, you’re right -- I’ve been looking at this the wrong way.'”
[RELATED: Kemp said he knew he belonged with the A's]
Kemp looks forward to what the movement has caused and truly believes it will spark a change. He calls this the “+1 Effect.”
Kemp, an infielder who was acquired by the A's in a trade with the Chicago Cubs during the offseason, also teamed up with BreakingT for a T-shirt inspired by his movement.
Portions of the sales will be donated to Campaign Zero which is dedicated to decreasing police violence.
