Mets' Smith: 'Being a Black man in America is not easy'

New York Mets utility player Dominic Smith delivered a powerful message in an emotional postgame press conference Wednesday, during which he was brought to tears while discussing the current state of his country.

"I think the most difficult part is to see people still don't care," he said, according to SNY. "For this to continuously happen, it just shows the hate in people's heart. That just sucks, you know? Being a Black man in America is not easy."

Smith kneeled during the U.S. national anthem before the Mets' game against the Miami Marlins to show his support for others protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this past weekend.

Smith said he did not tell his teammates he was going to take a knee and does not expect them to do so in the future to support him.

Instead, the 25-year-old offered a course of action for MLB and its players.

"There are a lot of things we can do in the inner city just to bring happiness to children. ... I didn't grow up with money. That shit doesn't mean nothing to me. If you can give your time, that's the thing that matters," Smith said.

"That's why I feel so emotional about it, because people get their money and they leave. You can't do that. You've got to be there for the children that's coming up after us. I think that's the biggest thing is if you give your time, that's the only way we can change."

Smith, 25, grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. His path to the major leagues went through MLB's Urban Youth Academy, which was founded in Compton, California, in 2006 before expanding to other parts of the U.S.