Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews on George Floyd’s death: ‘We can no longer distract ourselves from the truth or what’s going on’

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews posted a message on his Instagram account Monday afternoon about George Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests from it across North America.

Toews, who is among the most predominant NHL players to speak on the current events, said his message is for “white people to open our eyes and our hearts. That’s the only choice we have, otherwise this will continue.” He also called to “fight hate and fear with love and awareness.”

View this post on Instagram

A lot of people may claim these riots and acts of destruction are a terrible response. I’ll be the first to admit that as a white male that was also my first reaction. But who am I to tell someone that their pain is not real? Especially when it is at a boiling point and impossible to hold in anymore. It’s obviously coming from a place of truth. This reaction isn’t coming out of thin air. I’m not condoning or approving the looting, but are we really going to sit here and say that peaceful protesting is the only answer? There has been plenty of time for that, and if it was the answer we would’ve given it our full attention long ago. Listen to these two men debate. They are lost, they are in pain. They strived for a better future but as they get older they realize their efforts may be futile. They don’t know the answer of how to solve this problem for the next generation of black women and men. This breaks my heart. I can’t pretend for a second that I know what it feels like to walk in a black man’s shoes. However, seeing the video of George Floyd’s death and the violent reaction across the country moved me to tears. It has pushed me to think, how much pain are black people and other minorities really feeling? What have Native American people dealt with in both Canada and US? What is it really like to grow up in their world? Where am I ignorant about the privileges that I may have that others don’t? Compassion to me is at least trying to FEEL and UNDERSTAND what someone else is going through. For just a moment maybe I can try to see the world through their eyes. Covid has been rough but it has given us the opportunity to be much less preoccupied with our busy lives. We can no longer distract ourselves from the truth of what is going on. My message isn’t for black people and what they should do going forward. My message is to white people to open our eyes and our hearts. That’s the only choice we have, otherwise this will continue. Let’s choose to fight hate and fear with love and awareness. Ask not what can you do for me, but what can I do for you? Be the one to make the first move. In the end, love conquers all. #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Jonathan Toews (@jonathantoews) on Jun 1, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT

Toews’ comments on come on the heels of the Blackhawks issuing a team statement earlier in the day. He’s the third Blackhawks player to make a statement on the current events, following goaltender Malcolm Subban — who is Black — and forward Zack Smith.

For more ongoing coverage of the protests, Second City Hockey recommends visiting the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune and The Triibe.

Editor’s note: A word before you comment

This post touches on topics that can lead to very intense feelings, as indicated by the recent events happening in our country.

That said, we at SCH want to allow the community a chance to react and discuss to the above post. However, we remind everyone to abide by the community guidelines designated by SB Nation and request that you respect the opinions of those who engage in this discussion.

We’ll keep this comment section open as long as the discussion remains civil. If it winds up heading in a direction that isn’t benefiting anyone, we may change that stance.

Be good to each other. Please and thank you.