Penn State's Lamont Wade speaks out at Pleasant Hills protest
Penn State safety Lamont Wade was on the front lines of a peaceful protest against racial injustice on Wednesday in Pleasant Hills.
“If you are out here today then that means you want change,” Wade said. “And we need to see actions towards change, starting today.”
Wade, a Clairton graduate, joined dozens of protesters at the Southland Shopping Center to raise their voices in memory of George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police.
“Three, four hundred years later and we’re still trying to fix this, still,” Wade said. “Imagine running a race and being held back 400 yards. How are you supposed to win? How?”
BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE.
BE THE MOVEMENT YOU WANT TO CREATE.
OUR WORDS MEAN NOTHING WITHOUT ACTION.
ITS TIME TO TAKE ACTION & TAKE BACK OUR COMMUNITIES !!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/iNiKctgCmq— LaMont Wade ? (@Goony_38) June 3, 2020
Penn State coach James Franklin recently voiced his support with a statement.
“These young men are future doctors, teachers, broadcasters, lawyers, athletes, fathers and more,” Franklin said in the statement. “The idea they can have their lives stolen from them before they get a chance to leave their mark on the world is unconscionable.”
Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports copy desk, including serving as night sports editor. He has been with the multimedia staff since 2013. He can be reached at mpalm@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.