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Student athletes at San Jose State University are taking a stand for racial justice in the wake of police shootings of Black Americans.
Like Olympians Tommy Smith and John Carlos, these students wanted to use their roles as athletes to put the spotlight on racial justice.
"For instance, the NBA stopped playing the playoffs because of the shooting that happened," said senior Diamond Tabron who runs track and field. "That’s using your platform, that’s using your voice, that’s making people aware that this is serious, you know what I mean?"
The University of Alabama’s head football coach Nick Saban led athletes and coaches in a march for racial justice Monday, ending the demonstration at the infamous "schoolhouse door," where Alabama’s governor stood to demand an end to desegregation in 1963.
"There’s a blatant inequality, and black people are blatantly treated differently," said Simmons. "The racial bias has to stop. Recognizing us as less then, it has to stop."
Tabron said she has hope that the large number of college and professional athletes now taking a stand will accelerate the movement for equality.
"Slowly but surely. I mean, we have all these people out here this morning. We have people coming from all over. Coaches, staff, faculty, everyone’s here. It might take a little while but I think we’ll eventually get there."