Black Lives Matter: Keep the Momentum Alive, What I’ve Been Inspired By
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it,” are words from the late Martin Luther King Jr. that sum up how detrimental silence can be.
Following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, over 2,000 cities and 60 countries held protests in support of Black Lives Matter. The movement that was established by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi in 2014, found momentum.
However, recent polls suggest that the support for Black Lives Matter amongst Americans have significantly dropped since last June. According to pewresearch.org, 55% of American adults support Black Lives Matter, in comparison to 67% during the height of George Floyd protests.
With the Derek Chauvin murder trial underway, we can’t afford to go backwards.
In the end, Black Lives Matter isn’t just an organization.
It isn’t a slogan.
It isn’t a trend.
Black Lives actually matter.
Within the past few months, while I started seeing the support wane on social media. So, I thought about events that happened last year that were really important for the cause. I wanted to remind those of these events to hopefully inspire others to regain the momentum for Black Lives Matter.
So how will we regain this momentum?
Keep the conversation going, and continue the fight.
As a huge fan of basketball since a child, I was curious to see how the NBA and its players would contribute to the movement with such a big platform.
Last summer, the NBA moved all of its players to the Orlando to play the rest of their scheduled games. This was known as “the bubble”. During this time, the words ‘Black Lives Matter’ were painted on all NBA bubble courts.
Each NBA player was given a list of social justice messages that they can wear on the back of their jersey. Among those were “Black Lives Matter”, “I Can’t Breathe”, “Justice Now”, just to name a few.
Did this let viewers know that the NBA stands with Black Lives Matter? Yes.
Was it anything that would facilitate change? Hardly.
However, after 29-year-old Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by Wisconsin police officer Rusten Sheskey, players around the league decided enough was enough, and took matters into their own hands.
On August 26, the Milwaukee Bucks decided to boycott their game five matchup against the Orlando Magic.
The team with the best record in the entire league and a legitimate chance to win a championship, boycotted a playoff series-clincher. Soon after, the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trailblazers followed suit.
The Bucks, the team who plays in the state where the Jacob Blake incident occurred, demanded that the Wisconsin legislature address police brutality.
Later that night, players and owners held a meeting to discuss the next step.
LeBron James, the face of the NBA, had one message for NBA owners: Get more involved.
I thought to myself, now that facilitates change.
Of course I love to watch the game, it takes my mind off any hardships I may be dealing with. Nevertheless, as much as I love basketball, I am a black man before anything. I realize that sometimes, it’s more important for our favorite entertainers and inspirations to focus on the bigger picture.
LeBron James, knowing he held the most leverage being the star attraction, demanded more from the higher ups. I say leverage because If James were to boycott the rest of the season, the NBA would lose even more money on the top of what it lost due to the current pandemic.
This sent a message to the owners and fans that black athletes, black entertainers, are not just for our entertainment and their pockets. They are also human beings. They have family members, and any of their loved ones could very well be the next hashtag.
Raising a trophy is not as important as raising awareness of systemic oppression.
On September 3rd, the Brooklyn Nets hired hall of fame point guard Steve Nash as their new head coach. Nash, who happens to be white, played 18 seasons in the NBA.
The next morning, while discussing the topic on his sports debate show ESPN First Take, analyst Stephen A. Smith called the hire ‘white privilege’. Smith made it clear to viewers know that he respects Nash’s basketball knowledge and doesn’t fault him for accepting the job. However, his position is that a black man with no head coaching experience would never be given the same opportunity to coach a championship-ready roster.
At the time of this writing, there are 30 hired coaches in the NBA.
Seven of those coaches are black.
I commend Stephen A. Smith for taking this position. Whether Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks hired Steve Nash because he was white or not, the fact that Smith spoke up as a black man is important. Not only that, Stephen A. Smith works for ESPN.
ESPN, a network where its black employees spoke to New York Times back in July about the lack of diversity and racial discrimination that takes place behind the scenes. Meaning to say, I think Stephen A. Smith speaking out about privilege puts the necessary pressure on ESPN behind the scenes.
While some agreed, and some criticized Smith’s sentiment, Steve Nash acknowledged his privilege.
“I as a white man, whether we want to admit it or not, benefit from white privilege. We have to own that,” said Nash on ‘The Jump’.
The former player has also been vocal about creating equality in recent months. After George Floyd was killed back in May, he tweeted: “This is a white problem. How are WE Caucasian people going to create equality? Listen. Read. Walk in others shoes. Organize. Sacrifice. Change. Support. VOTE! These are the MINIMUM of REPARATIONS.”
Acknowledging white privilege is only the beginning of the conversations we must continue to have.
In the music world, artists have also been vocal about injustice in America. From Lil Baby in his song “The Bigger Picture,” to Dababy’s 2020 BET performance of “ROCKSTAR.”
Whether it’s through the music or not, I think it’s great when artists with extreme popularity continue to keep the conversation going by using their platform.
“Guard Your Heart”, the 10th track off of Big Sean’s album Detroit 2 is a song that has resonated with me since it released. The song features Big Sean, Wale, Anderson. Paak, and Earlly Mac.
“Got tired of white silence, so the riots started,” Wale opens his verse, voicing his frustration with silence and lack of action.
“And the robbers robbed, you wylin’ cause your product gone? We mad that Eric Garner, Breonna and Gianna father gone.”
Wale, along with millions of protesters, realize that the products stolen by looters, can be replaced. Unfortunately, the lives of Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd cannot be.
“Yeah, a lot of trauma, we tired, exhausted.”
The verse on the song speaks volumes about the current situation in America for black people. I encourage everyone to listen to it.
· More new songs that embody Black Lives Matter
· H.E.R. — “I Can’t Breathe”
· D Smoke & SiR — “Let Go”
· Anderson .Paak — “Lockdown”
· This is what I’ve been inspired by.
· We must keep the momentum alive. Contact government officials, sign petitions, vote, educate yourself, educate your peers.
· Posting a black square was the trend for over 20 million people back in June. The fight against systemic racism however, was never a trend.
Below are links to sites that have a plan that takes action. These are ways you can help fight police brutality, and help black entrepreneurs who are important to the black community.
