Orioles issue statement against "racial bias and violent abuse"

The Orioles turned to social media today to join the chorus of teams speaking out against racial injustice in the country.

The club released a lengthy statement this afternoon on its official Twitter and Instagram accounts. The avatars have been altered as part of the Blackout Tuesday initiative, promoted by activists to observe and push for policy changes following George Floyd's death last week in Minneapolis.

Office Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

The message reads as follows:

"Nearly six decades ago, at another low point in our country's ongoing struggle to understand and rectify the racial injustice our fellow Americans have endured since the inception of our nation, the author James Baldwin warned, 'Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.'

"Today, as our friends and neighbors experience the same mistreatment of generations ago in the form of engrained, unyielding, and institutionally-discriminatory systems that deny justice and equality, and provide in their place a steady supply of brutalizing misconduct, compounded in some cases by voices that fan the flames of violence and racism, it is imperative that we face the past and present.

"Dr. King said, 'Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.'

"The entire Orioles family expresses solidarity with the families of all who have had their lives destroyed and communities disrupted by the forces of racial bias and violent abuse.

"With enduring understanding, empathy, and a peaceful resolve, we are committed to advocate for the change our country needs today and to root out racism and prejudice of any kind as we strive to make a better America in the future.

"Black Lives Matter."