Bulls Unite With Bay Community to Create Positive Change
Gallery: (6-6-2020) Unity Walk 2020
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, JUNE 7, 2020 – People moving together for an important cause don't hesitate, they help create change.
That was clear as day – even in a downpour – when several hundred supporters of racial equality and social justice participated in the
KJ Sails-led "unity walk" to promote peace and solidarity held Saturday afternoon in downtown Tampa.
"This is the generation to make change," Sails said. "It has to start with us, but first it has to start within our community before we can change the world."
With protests ongoing across the country following the death of George Floyd while in police custody on May 25, Sails and close friend/USF football teammate
Jordan McCloud have answered the call as proud community leaders in their beloved home city of Tampa.
Wanting to make a powerful statement this week, Sails was inspired to organize the peaceful "unifying walk" to "shed light on the injustices within the black community that have been taking place for decades."
"It's not me. It's all God, and when God says move, that's when you're supposed to move," Sails said. "I'm just following God's orders and moving as he tells me to."
Putting the sports platform to great use, Sails invited all of his "USF Athletics family," and the entire Tampa Bay athletic community to take part in an event that has
gained national attention since Saturday's final step.
"No matter what color you are, what race you are, we move as one unit, as one team. It's not you-versus-me, or black-versus-white, it's the team," Sails said. "I felt like bringing my teammates and my coaches together, that shows how diverse we are. If we can work together, why can't the world use that, and apply that to their life?"
The response to Sails' heartfelt invitation was moving – and massive.
Hundreds of participants dressed in black filled downtown Tampa streets and silently honored fallen black men and women on the half-mile walk to culturally-rich Central Park Village. Serving as even more inspiration along the way to Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church were statues and depictions of local African-American leaders in the historic area.
Once the large group arrived at the very meaningful place where Sails sang church hymns as a kid with his family, the senior cornerback addressed the crowd, asking everyone to repeat the names of Floyd and other African-American men and women who were suffered racial injustice and brutality.
"Martin Chambers was our George Floyd," Sails said, referencing the then 19 year-old who was fatally shot in the back by a police officer more than 50 years ago, sending the Central Avenue neighborhood - once filled with black-owned businesses - into turmoil. "He was gunned down in 1967, due to police brutality. I don't know if you guys know Tampa's history, but that was history. That was history and we have to make change. This has been going on for centuries, decades. When is it gonna stop?"
Strongly supporting an emotional Sails throughout the afternoon was USF head football coach
Jeff Scott and Vice President of Athletics
Michael Kelly, along with many other Bulls of the past and present, from staff members to administrators.
Several head coaches of other USF teams joined the walk with members of their teams. Well-known local philanthropist Thaddeus Bullard, known as wrestler Titus O'Neil in the WWE, walked with former USF football standouts, such as
Marquez Valdes-Scantling,
Mitchell Wilcox and Sam Barrington.
"When you have some players who are hurting, you wanna do something to be able to help them. This is one of those things that I confess, I don't have the answer to it," said Scott after he addressed the crowd in Central Park Village. "It's something that we're all gonna have to do together and today was a great step in doing that."
Walking alongside Sails and Scott during an afternoon that will resonate for years to come was McCloud, who took action to make an incredible impact in the Bay back on May 31. The USF quarterback and his family helped lead a community cleanup effort at the Champs Sports on Fowler Avenue, a business that was set on fire hours earlier after what began as peaceful protests turned violent.
"That's what we felt like was needed, to just help out and change all the negatives into positives, to change the narrative," McCloud said. "We texted a big group of guys and were like, 'Let's go clean it up, man. Obviously, we can't clean it up all the way, but let's just help out as much as we can.' That's what we did."
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor had tears in her eyes when she thanked McCloud, his brother, Ray-Ray, and members of the cleanup group Thursday during an important meeting with local leaders.
"She was just very passionate about the city," McCloud said. "That felt good with us. We just started sharing ideas – positive ideas – we could just bring for the future."
McCloud and Sails both were invited to continue the important conversation as special guests on the Athletic's podcast "Bull Speed Ahead," hosted by
Michael Kelly. Both Bulls eloquently expressed their feelings about the situation in America and why they want to make a difference in the place they love – Tampa.
"On behalf of Bulls nation, and our entire athletic department, I just want to thank the two of you and your many teammates supporting you. We are supporting you and I am just very proud," Kelly said. "I hope that you continue it on. I hope we continue to have good dialogue, and good learnings, and together we will be vehicles of change."
Unity walks, cleanups and meetings are the initial steps Sails, McCloud and the Bulls will keep taking – as Scott promised - to help ensure the momentum of racial equality and social justice continues toward meaningful change and unity.
"Nobody should feel untouchable. We should all want to feel united together," Sails said. "I'm glad that (Scott) brought the word 'United' here. It's been around, but he made that USF's standpoint. I think we can apply that as a Tampa Bay community, as a whole."
- #GoBulls –
