LeBron shows that he stands for equality in season opener
LeBron James took a stand for equality during the season opener.
On a night that many had been waiting for since the horn sounded at the end of the 2017 NBA Finals, LeBron James once again stood at the forefront of the sports world and took a stand against social injustices.
He didn’t speak about it, although he did so in a GQ article by Mark Anthony Green that was released on the NBA’s opening night. James let his shoes do all the talking.
In that GQ article, James was asked about the moment he tweeted to President Donald Trump and called him a “bum” and if it was a moment that could be what the Vietnam War was for Muhammad Ali.
"“Well,” he said, “I think only time will tell.”"
"“I think Ali represented something bigger than Ali. He wanted to make a change for a future without him included. That’s what Ali brought to the table. I don’t know what it’s like to live in every state in this country, but I know freedom. I know the opportunity that our country has given people, and to see the guy in charge now not understanding that is baffling to not only myself but to my friends and to the people that’ve helped grow this country. But Muhammad Ali’s correlation to the war… I don’t think me and Donald Trump could ever get to that point.”"
Ali, infamous for his civil rights activism as James is, infamously took a stand against the war by refusing to be inducted into the Army and fighting an enemy that he had no “quarrel” with. Ali was banned from boxing for three and convicted of draft evasion as a result.
Though Ali never went to jail, it’s one of the moments that Ali made an unpopular decision in standing up for what he believed is right. James calling the President of the United States a “bum”, a person who some respect simply because of his position in the White House, was surely unpopular with some.
But James was coming to the defense of Stephen Curry, a member of the NBA fraternity, who refused to go to the White House (a tradition for champions of professional sports leagues in America) amidst the questionable decisions and seeming lack of empathy from the President since he was inaugurated. In doing that, James was showing solidarity with Curry and the commonalities regarding their opinions about the current state of American society.
There may seem to be a growing divide in the country between those that support President Trump and those that don’t. That’s why certain entities in the world, like sports, are supposed to transcend politics and allow others to see the benefits of teamwork, acceptance ans sportsmanship. James alluded to President Trump using sports to divide the country (with the President decrying the protest of NFL players during National Anthem) as part of the reason he felt it important to speak up during the Cleveland Cavaliers Media Day.
"“The thing that frustrated me and pissed me off is the fact that he used a sports platform to try and divide us. In sports, it’s so amazing what sports can do for everyone no matter what shape or size or race or ethnicity or whatever. People find teams, people find players, people find others because of sport and they just gravitate toward that and it makes them so happy and it brings people together like none other. I’m not going to — while I have this platform — to let one individual no matter the power, no matter the impact that he should or she should have ever use sport as a platform to divide us.”"
It’s only right after what James has done over the years to continue to be one of the leading faces of social activism, though NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick may be the current torchbearer for civil equality in the sports world.
Just last season, James’ home was vandalized with racial slurs despite his stature and prominence across the globe. Instances like that just go to show that no matter how successful a person of color is, it’s hard to have the level of respect that’s seemingly reserved for white Americans. That’ s not to say it’s impossible for motivated people of color to succeed or that all white Americans are racist but that in a country literally built on racism, there are still remnants of oppressive systems in behaviors in 2017.
It was just 53 years ago that segregation ended. Some of us have grandparents that lived through it. Racism in America isn’t so old that it’s dead.
"“No matter how great you become in life, no matter how wealthy you become, how people worship you, or what you do, if you are an African-American man or African-American woman, you will always be that.”"
James spoke about that incident in 2017 and how it effected him. Along with how James has spoken multiple times about being worried about how his children will be treated by law enforcement officials if his vehicle was pulled over because of the color of their skin.
"“True colors will show, and it showed for me during the playoffs, where my house in Brentwood, California, one of the fucking best neighborhoods in America, was vandalized with, you know, the N-word. And that [expletive] puts it all back into perspective. So do I use my energy toward that? Or do I now shed a light on how I can use this negative to turn into a positive, because so many people are looking for what I’m going to say. I had a conversation with my kids. I let them know this is what it is, this is how it’s going to be. When it’s time for y’all to fly, you’ll have to understand that. When y’all go out in public and y’all start driving or y’all start moving around, be respectful to cops, as much as you can. When you get pulled over, call your mom or dad, put it on speakerphone, and put your phone underneath the seat. But be respectful the whole time.”"
The problem in America is bigger than racism, however. There’s an overall lack of common decency and morality that seems to have permeated nearly aspect of our existence. Even sports.
“Stick to sports” is a phrase commonly used by people who don’t want others to voice their opinions, although there’s no requirement to listen. To be more specific, it’s a phrase uttered by those that would rather silence those voices using whatever platform is in their power to use as tool to achieve higher levels of social justice, progress and civility.
These are trying times in the United States with the natural disasters, acts of mass violence, the threat of war and members of the central government under scrutiny during various investigations. In a time when the country should stick together as one, it’s easy for some to see how, in America, pop culture has provided dehumanizing schemas of people of color and how it’s affected the behavior (conscious or unconscious) of its citizens. As a result, people act on those prejudices and create a toxic atmosphere that makes it hard for progress to occur.
However, with enough people standing up and trying to shed light on matters that extend past improving race relations but into such things as increasing the safety in the country with the removal or increased regulation of firearms, providing affordable healthcare and allowing everyone to exercise what should be basic, fundamental human rights, there’s always chance for progress to happen.
James took a stand for equality yesterday with shoes that probably reminded quite a few people, and not just me, what he means to this world as a civil rights leader. A leader doesn’t have to speak to inspire societal change and motivate others leaders to improve the world we all occupy.
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