Former South Africa captain, Faf du Plessis came forward in support of the fight against racism that has gripped the world with renewed vitality after African-American George Floyd’s death. Expressing his perception regarding the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which found support in the ongoing three-match Test series between England and West Indies where players of both players took a knee in the opening match, du Plessis now is the time to fight racism head-on.
In his latest Instagram post, Du Plessis wrote: “In the last couple of months, I have realized that we must choose our battles. We are surrounded by many injustices in our country that require urgent attention and action to fix them.”
Floyd’s give rise to the anti-racism movement after he was killed at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis, triggering widespread protests across the US and the world.
ALSO READ: Faf du Plessis Recalling ODI series Defeats Against India In 2018
Talking about the same, Faf du Plessis said, “So I’ve remained silent, with the intent to listen, but not respond. Slowing down my point of view, but quicker to hear the pain of someone else. I surrender my opinions and take the knee as an intercessor.I acknowledge that South Africa is still hugely divided by racism and it is my personal responsibility to do my best to emphasize, hear the stories, learn and then be part of the solution with my thoughts, words, and actions,” du Plessis added..”
View this post on Instagram
Former Proteas skipper said that “we don’t see color” when asked about dropping Temba Bavuma earlier this year. He explained, “Good intentions were failed by a lack of perspective when I said on a platform that – I don’t see color. In my ignorance, I silenced the struggles of others by placing my own view on it. A race problem is a human race problem, if one part of the body hurts, we all stop, we empathize, we get perspective, we learn and then we tend to the hurting part of the body.”
ALSO READ: Michael Vaughan Empathizes With Jofra Archer For Facing Hate
Faf’s teammate Lungi Ngidi has stated that they will discuss supporting the BLM movement when it has a chance at a group discussion.
Extending his complete support for the BLM support, Du Plessis said, “So I am saying that all lives don’t matter UNTIL black lives matter. I’m speaking up now because if I wait to be perfect, I never will. I want to leave a legacy of empathy.”
