English soccer player Andre Gray is carrying the legacy of the ancestors on his back. Portraits of civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks and legendary moments such as the 1968 Olympics and Huey P. Newton's release are among those featured in the piece. If you need a lesson in black history, look no further.

"This man got more black history on his back than high school textbooks," one Twitter user wrote. Sadly enough, that's probably true. 

In a 2017 interview with U.K. newspaper The Telegraph, Gray explained the history behind his back piece that took 72 hours to complete. 

“The civil rights movement is something I’ve looked into a lot,” Gray said. “When I was about 23, I started reading up on it all and watching TV programs. You find you read about one person, and then you find there is a documentary you can watch about them and then it usually leads on to something else.” 

One of the figures on his back is Marcus Garvey. He explained why he is of particular interest to him:

"He was the first person to really start trying to fight back and fight for equal rights. Most interesting for me, he created a ship, which is on the tattoo as well, to take African Americans back to Africa from other countries," Gray said. "He was the one a lot of other famous civil rights activists looked up to, and he had Jamaican heritage, as well, like me, so it was really interesting for me. Then you start watching videos on YouTube, and all these other people pop up, and you learn more and more.” 

The piece is made up of 10 notable figures and parties total: Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, Marcus Garvey, Huey Newton, Black Panther Party, Bob Marley, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Gray credits acquiring knowledge of the civil rights movement with shaping him into the man he is today. As one can imagine, he's often been the target of racist "football" fans. Though his first instinct used to be to fight, reading the stories of Smith and Carlos, who silently protested while collecting their gold and bronze medals in the Mexico Olympics, has taught him there are other ways to react.

"That is why the picture of the Olympians was a big piece that I really wanted to get on the tattoo,” Gray told The Telegraph. “There was also the Australian guy [Peter Norman] who stood with them and supported them, and that was a massive moment. He got a lot of stick and hate for it, but it showed somebody in the limelight could stand up and help change things. It’s something you have to do when you are in that position.” 

Now that's how you pay homage.