Derek Jeter has learned to stay vigilant about his surroundings after receiving unwelcome stares growing up
In July 2022, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter spoke about how uncomfortable looks from strangers made him more cautious of his surroundings.
In an interview with Time, Derek mentioned how his family was constantly stared at owing to their bi-racial identity. He added the unpleasant experience made him extra vigilant growing up.
As he grew up and achieved success, Derek continued to get stares, but this time for his MLB stardom. However, the constant habit of looking around and being cautious stayed with him.
Derek also recalled how his wife, Hannah, noticed this particular habit when they first met in 2012.
"I remember speaking to my wife, when we first met, she said ‘You’re always looking around.’
"It just makes you think back to when you’re a child and you’re looking to see who’s staring. Obviously as you have more success in your career, people may be looking for other reasons. It’s an awareness thing. You couldn’t get away from it."
A long talk with Derek Jeter on Alex Rodriguez, Colin Kaepernick, and his 20 years as a Yankee
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"A long talk with Derek Jeter on Alex Rodriguez, Colin Kaepernick, and his 20 years as a Yankee." - TIME
Derek Jeter's mother, Dorothy, is of English, German, and Irish ancestry, while his father, Charles is African-American.
Derek Jeter gave credit to his parents for educating him about racism early in life
In the first episode of his multi-part documentary, "The Captain," the former Yankees All-Star spoke about his upbringing in Kalamazoo and how his parents, Dorothy and Charles, made sure to make him and his sister Sharlee cautious about growing up as biracial kids.
“Since I was very young, I’d have so many people staring at me. My parents did a great job of sitting us down and saying, ‘Look you’re gonna get looks, people are going to treat you different, you’re gonna deal with racism, you’re gonna deal with prejudice… but you learn how to deal with it.”
Bravo to Mama and Papa Jeter for educating their kids about racism and how to handle it.