Friday, July 10, 2020

Malcolm Jenkins is No Saint When It Comes to Anti-Semitism

While I was gratified to hear Pittsburgh Steelers players Zach Banner and Cam Heyward forcefully denounce anti-Semitism, I cannot say the same of New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins who commented on the DeSean Jackson incident on Instagram.

Although Jenkins did acknowledge Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic remarks were "wrong", he also considered the incident "a distraction."

Jewish people aren't our problem, and we aren't their problem. Let's not lose focus on what the problem truly is, and that's that black lives still don't matter in this country. Push this energy toward arresting and convicting the killers of Breonna Taylor and burning systemic racism to the ground.

To pretend that anti-Semitism isn't a problem much less a problem in a significant segment of the African-American community would be akin to pretending the police treat the African-American community equally and fairly. Banner and Heyward recognize that supporting Black Lives Matter and speaking out against anti-Semitism aren't mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible to want justice for Breonna Taylor and want justice for Josef Neumann. Unlike Banner and Heyward, Jenkins is no saint when it comes to anti-Semitism.

Jenkins' attitude is disappointing because how apoplectic he was when his teammate Drew Brees objected to kneeling during the national anthem because he wouldn't disrespect the American flag. But Jackson invoking Hitler and defame Jews moves Jenkins to indifference. Not his problem. Well, it makes Malcolm Jenkins part of the problem.

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