Lewis County student athlete’s name spray-painted with racial slurs. Jaycob Smith, a famous football and basketball player in the city, has faced some backlash. Smith hopes this will lead to difficult yet important discussions that he feels the group requires. The painting, which was once divisive, is now inclusive, with a message Smith hopes to convey.
How things went down:
After experiencing racism in the group, a Lewis County student athlete is speaking out.
Jaycob Smith, a famous football and basketball player in the city, has recently faced some backlash. Smith’s name was spray painted over with a racial slur.
“It made me a little sad because I’ve done so much for the community.” I grew up, played (sports), and lived here. “You think everyone is your friend until one day you turn around and there it is,” Smith said. “Writing hurtful things just because you’re angry or whatever the reason isn’t okay, it’s never okay.”
Smith’s colleagues, on the other hand, support him in his fight against racism. “I know people will say things behind his back that they won’t say to him but will try to say to me,” Smith’s friend said. “I just have to be the one to shut it down and make sure they can’t say it behind his back or to anyone else, and if I hear about it, I have to tell them you can’t say that and step up for him as much as I can.”
Even more people have now joined forces to help Smith.
The painting, which was once divisive, is now inclusive, with a message Jaycob hopes to convey. “Don’t keep your mouth shut. You must create boundaries that they cannot reach. You’re just as much of a concern as anybody else if you sit there and let them talk,” Smith continued.
Smith also told reporters that he hopes this will lead to the difficult yet important discussions that he feels the group requires.