Tyrell Williams isn’t very active on social media. The Raiders receiver rarely posts on those platforms, and tends to stay in the middle lane when he does.
Football and charitable causes are primary topics discussed, but there was a notable shift recently, after George Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis police custody sparked protests against police brutality and systemic racism of African Americans across the country.
It was mostly Twitter retweets on the topic for more than a week, as Williams pondered what he really wanted to say.
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Turns out it took a lot more than 280 characters.
This wasn’t simply a denouncement of the state of racism in America. This was personal.
Williams detailed his experience growing up as a bi-racial kid in a small, predominantly white Oregon community in a powerful Instagram post on June 5 that should be read in its entirety before we continue.
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Williams brought light to the quieter side of racism in this country, to the subtle barbs and whispered slurs that often get swept under the rug.
“I don’t really think people understand what people living in the situation may go through in predominantly white area, with the stuff I would see and hear every day,” Williams said in a Tuesday interview with NBC Sports Bay Area. “I don’t think many people get that information or know what’s going on or how prevalent it is. I thought it would be a good opportunity to explain what I went through.”
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Williams had a good group of friends in school, but rarely felt like he completely fit in as a bi-racial individual. He wasn’t white, and was told by some peers he wasn’t black enough. Williams said he internalized the ridicule and normalized inappropriate comments occurring far too often.
“It had a bigger impact than I gave it credit for,” Williams said. “I’m a pretty quiet guy and really do think that comes from how I grew up, feeling like I couldn’t really have a voice. As I wrote in the post, people would say that I wasn’t actually black and things like that, so I felt like I had to keep my opinions to myself. Looking back, I wish I would’ve said more when I felt uncomfortable after people said ignorant things that I kind of brushed off. I don’t think I had the confidence back then to speak up and say I wasn’t uncomfortable or that it’s not okay. That’s one thing I wish I would’ve said more then and it’s something I will speak up against now.”
Williams is working hard to do that now, trying to give both a voice and an ear to bi-racial children dealing with this type of abuse. He would also like to create a foundation to help this particular group and its unique experience.
He’ll work to make resources and available those impacted and promote change in areas where this is a pronounced issue, starting with his hometown of Turner, Ore. He already has been in contact with teachers and students in the community and high school he went to, who have expressed that underlying racism similar to what he experienced still exists today.
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Shedding light on it is an important step, but Williams knows it’s not the last. This project will go on long after the current outrage dies down over time. He’s in it for the long haul, working to enact positive change in his communities and others across the country.
“The [immediate] reaction has been really good,” Williams said. “I’ve heard from a lot of friends, from a lot of teachers looking for ways they can make a difference. A lot of parents left comments about their kids being bi-racial and them worried them going through the same things I experienced. That’s why I have been thinking about some type of foundation to have an outreach for those things. It has been really positive, and I think there should be a lot of change. My only thing is that it’s easy to write a comment or say you want to do something, but I don’t think teachers and students and people realize how uncomfortable conversations and changes will be when you get pushback.
“If you look at people saying black lives matter, that’s a simple thing to say. And then you have pushback of people saying all lives matter. I don’t think people realize the pushback you’ll get trying to stand up for something that’s so simple. The biggest thing is keeping it going. It can’t just be next school year. It has to be something that, year after year, has to be in the light. It’s not just right now because people are posting about it on social media. It’s going to have to continuously change and it can be an exhausting thing to do because it’s a tough and uncomfortable thing to do.”
[RAIDERS TALK: Listen to the latest episode]