As the United States continues to grapple with the longstanding racism and social injustices, Toronto Raptors star Kyle Lowry opened up about his experiences with systemic racism through his life and how he’s lucky to be alive.

“I grew up a Black man in America. Definitely a tough thing to grow up that way. You never know what could possibly happen to you. You never know if you're going to make it out. So for me to do that itself is a blessing,” the Raptors All-Star said, per Mark Medina of USA Today.

Certainly, as protests continue, it hasn’t stopped police officers from agitating and provoking protesters through violent and aggressive acts.

Regarding the statement of the Raptors playmaker, a 2019 study by researchers at Rutgers University, Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Michigan found that Black men are more than twice as likely as their white peers to die from police use of force in America.

Moreover, per the same study, police-caused deaths of Black people in America occur in such high numbers that it ranks as a “leading cause of death” among Black men between the ages of 25 and 29.

While Kyle Lowry made it out, many other young Black men did not – which is why real, concrete change needs to happen in America soon.