Arik Armstead started his media obligation on Friday by speaking passionately about the state of the country when it comes to social injustice. The San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman plans to continue bringing up such topics whenever he has an opportunity to speak with reporters. After all, he has a platform that most don't, and he intends to utilize it.
On Friday, Armstead discussed the surge in hate crimes across the country, and what he feels can be done to knock down walls that divide people.
"Before we talk football today, I decided this year to bring up some important things that are important to me in terms of social injustice and issues I see in our country," Armstead said after sitting down to speak with reporters via a video conference call. "And so, before my media obligations, I want to shed some light on some things that are important to me. And I think we should all educate ourselves ... That's my goal with this, is to educate and create dialogue and start conversation.
"So today, I wanted to highlight the rise in hate crimes in our country. According to The New York Times and the FBI, 2018 hate crimes were at an all-time high of 16 years, and I think we have to ask ourselves why that is. With COVID, we've seen an increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans. With immigration, we've seen a rise in hate crimes against Latinos in our country.
"And so, I think we have to think about why these things are happening, what biases and stereotypes are we continuing to allow to be a part of our society, and how can we stop spreading hate, and start spreading love in a society where everything is divided — Black and White, rich and poor, gay, straight, immigrant citizen.
"How can we knock down those walls, instead of dividing our people and bring people closer together? I think the way you do that is spreading love and not hate. So, I challenge all of us to continue to spread love and understanding to people who don't look like us, maybe have a different language than us. So, that's what I wanted to shed light on today."