U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams believes he could have been placed in the same position as George Floyd because of the color of his skin.
Adams told Politico‘s “Pulse Check” podcast on Thursday that he thinks his own life could have been put at risk during an arrest, pointing out that he and Floyd are both black and in their mid-40s.
“George Floyd is the same age that I am, and I look at him, and I really do think that could have been me. That could be me pulled over for speeding five miles over the speed limit. That could be me with a busted tail light,” he said.
“That could be me who is just seen as a black man and not as the surgeon general of the United States, especially if I’m not wearing a uniform, but I’m casually dressed in my hoodie, tennis shoes, and athletic apparel. And that could be me on the side of the road with a knee in my neck,” he added.
Adams said that many people felt that they were not watching “George Floyd alone,” but rather, they “saw their faces there” when watching footage of the moments before Floyd died. He noted that he believes he could have experienced racial bias at the hands of police officers, including being pulled over for “very minor” violations and experiencing questioning by security officers while shopping in stores.
The surgeon general said the internal stress of managing racism has damaged the health of black citizens. He said he does not “fault” anyone who believes that addressing racism is more important than addressing the coronavirus right now because the two are intertwined.
“I dealt with institutional and structural racism at many points throughout my career and, again, it’s something I deal with on a daily basis and I think about. I really do think whether or not that’s impacted my risk for high blood pressure, which I have. My risk for diabetes, and I follow my blood sugars closely because I have a family history, and I’m actually in the category of pre-diabetic right now,” Adams said.
“So, to answer your question: yes, I have dealt with these things, and unfortunately, many of us internalize them. But if you internalize them and you don’t have an outlet, and you don’t feel like it’s going to get better, then it can manifest in ways that are harmful to your mental, to your physical, to your emotional and spiritual health,” he said.
Floyd died after being arrested by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on his neck for several minutes.
