The Minnesota Vikings are planning to honor the family of George Floyd, the Black man who was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day.
According to a statement released by the team, Floyd’s family will be recognized at the U.S. Bank Stadium following the performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” during Sunday’s (Sep. 13) opening game against the Green Bay Packers.
The team is also planning to address the issues of racism through other practices. The players will wear T-shirts with the words “Be the Change” on the front and the names of 200 people who have been killed by racial violence or police brutality on the back.
Additionally, the end zones of the field will be marked with the messages “It Takes All of Us” and “End Racism.” Players will have the option to wear helmet decals with the name of a victim of systemic racism. They can wear the decals for the first game or opt to keep them on their helmets for the entire season.
Other NFL teams are planning to combat racism and police brutality during the season as well. The Miami Dolphins announced that they will stay in their locker room during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
In an almost two-minute clip, the team shared their reasoning behind the decision to stay in the locker room.
“This attempt to unify only creates more divide. So we’ll skip this song and dance, and as a team we’ll stay inside,” the Dolphins players said. “We need changed hearts, not just a response to pressure. Enough, no more fluff and empty gestures. We need owners with influence and pockets bigger than ours to call up officials and flex political power.”
Check out the full list of what the Vikings plan to do to bring awareness to social justice issues during Sunday’s game.