Ex-NHLer Fraser asks hockey world to keep decrying racism: 'Silence is violence'

Mark Fraser is encouraging those involved in hockey to continue speaking up about racial injustice and bigotry.

"Please don't stop making noise," the former NHL defenseman wrote in The Players' Tribune on Friday. "Please don't go silent. Silence is violence in this case. Be proud to know that you are not only standing on the right side of the fence, but you are also actively using your voices and letting yourself be heard in support of our cause and our fight for justice and equality. Show us your love. Show us you love us. To quote (U.S.) Senator Cory Booker, 'What does love look like in public? It looks like justice.'"

Fraser urged the hockey community to go beyond merely expressing support online.

"Social media posts are great, but it can't end there," he wrote. "Don't let an Instagram story be the only thing you did. That's not enough. We need more. George Floyd needs more! Trayvon Martin needs more! Breonna Taylor needs more! Eric Garner needs more! Ahmaud Arbery needs more!"

Fraser added, "Police are shooting peaceful protestors in the face with rubber bullets and tear gas. Whites and blacks alike. Encourage people to vote and get real leaders in positions of influence who actually want to see change happen. Educate yourself on our struggle. Try to disarm your privilege to better understand. Educate your children about equality. ... But please don't go back to being silent. That will only hurt us in the end."

The 33-year-old played parts of seven NHL seasons and suited up for 219 career games, more than half of which he spent with the New Jersey Devils. Fraser last played in the league in 2014-15, but he's been plying his trade overseas for the last three campaigns, appearing in 50 games for the German league's Schwenningen Wild Wings in 2019-20.

His grandfather, Cecil Fraser, immigrated to Kingston, Ontario, from Kingston, Jamaica, in 1954, and became a lawyer. His father, Hugh, was also a lawyer and competed for Canada as a sprinter in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

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