Willie Calhoun Speaks on Racial Injustice: "We Must Come Together"

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun spoke out on the racial tension in America.

What millions of Americans have witnessed in the past few days is difficult to bear.

The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, who is now facing charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, has sparked a number of protests throughout the country, including the city of Dallas. Many of those protests began peacefully, but quickly escalated to dangerous riots that have left many people injured, businesses looted and left in ruin, and a path of destruction left behind that resembles a natural disaster.

It's difficult to catch Texas Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun without a smile. However on Sunday morning, Calhoun tweeted his displeasure with the racial divide in America, joining a number of professional athletes who have also spoken out.

I usually don't get into this really, but from what I've been seeing is heartbreaking. It's unreal that we're living in a society where the color of our skin STILL matters and puts a target on our backs. As a young black male watching what is going on with racial injustice and inequalities is unbelievable. I was never taught to look at another person for the color of their skin, but I was taught how to treat others with respect and compassion as a person no matter what. Things have to change and in order to move into a more positive direction, we must come together as a whole and work for our communities. Please stay safe everyone. #AllLivesMatter #BlackLivesMatter

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus retweeted Calhoun's statement, which also earned "likes" from Rangers' pitcher Kyle Cody, Oakland's Tony Kemp, and former major leaguer Trevor Plouffe. 

Texas Rangers Hall of Famer Michael Young also spoke out against racism on Sunday morning.

Other local athletes have spoken out in response to the fallout of George Floyd's murder, including several players on the Dallas Cowboys.

For a more positive story regarding Willie Calhoun, he began taking live batting practice recently. In an interview with InsideTheRangers.com, he detailed his return to seeing live pitches for the first time after recovering from a fractured jaw in March.

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