Marcus Semien said during the Opening Day pregame availability that with the A’s being on national television against the Los Angeles Angels, they wanted to make sure the pregame festivities to support Black Lives Matter were noticed.
And they were.
Prior to Friday’s game, both members of the Angels and A’s held a black ribbon down the third and first-base sides of the field in support of Black Lives Matter.
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Oakland designated hitter Khris Davis and infielder Tony Kemp then raised their fists during the national anthem.
Kemp has been very outspoken about his “+1 Effect,” a movement to create a dialogue to have a real conversation about race.
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Kemp wanted to make himself available to those who would have questions about being Black. He would receive backhanded comments and wanted to assure those people some of the things they were saying were “actually kind of offensive.”
It was very successful and he received so much support from his teammates who sported BreakingT “+1 Effect shirts.” Proceeds of the sales are donated to Campaign Zero which is dedicated to decreasing police violence.