New Orleans Saints’ Malcolm Jenkins: ‘We Must Look Out for Ourselves’

The plight of the black family in the United States is well documented, even more so now in the face of the recent coronavirus pandemic. To help further illustrate this point, New Orleans Saints player Malcolm Jenkins has taken to social media to remind black Americans that the government isn’t always here for us and that we must take care of ourselves.

“This message is for my black brothers and sisters,” Jenkins said in a video posted on his Twitter account. “#dearblackpeople We are the most impacted, yet the focus of resources aren’t being invested in us. We cannot wait for a government that has NEVER prioritized us. We must look out for ourselves. Take care of you first, share resources, protect the elderly, and stay home!”

His message for the black community was also shared via his Instagram account:

View this post on Instagram

#DearBlackPeople Thank you to all of our first responders, doctors, and nurses who are on the front lines. You are our heroes, we thank you, we pray for you, and we owe you a great debt. This is message is for my black brother and sisters. We MUST SURVIVE! This pandemic is REAL and the damage that is left in the wake of the coronavirus is realized mostly in our communities. Bad policy, institutional neglect, and over exposure place us disproportionately in arms reach of the dangers of this deadly virus. We are the essential worker! We are the most impacted, yet the focus of resources aren’t being invested in us. We cannot wait for a government that has NEVER prioritized us. We must look out for ourselves. Take care of you first, share resources, protect the elderly, and stay home as much as possible. Please stay safe, stay healthy, and survive because whether they know if or not, the world needs us… we need us!

A post shared by Malcolm Jenkins (@malcolmjenkins27) on Apr 11, 2020 at 11:11am PDT

Jenkins, a two time Super Bowl champion, is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints after spending the past six seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.