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A 911 call was placed on May 25, 2020; the call was in regards to a man who used a counterfeit $20 dollar bill. Usually these types of calls do not result In death, but when you’re Black in America, your chances increase by three.
I remember walking past my TV screen and seeing the video, shocked that there were any Black people whatsoever living in Minneapolis, and being surprised that police were still killing us during a literal global pandemic. But it was not until I saw with my own two eyes a Black man on the floor pleading and crying for his right to live, not until I heard George Floyd call out to his deceased mother, until I watched in disbelief the callous and stoic nature of the officers surrounding George Floyd, did I realize I watched a modern day lynching — and we as a society were on the cusp of a revolution.
The Black Lives Matter movement picked up exactly where it left off in 2014, except with a more introspective look on what it means to be Black in America, along with the different challenges and hurdles we face in this country. These hurdles are deeply engraved with the stench of racism and white imperialism of America’s past. You see, America never really got rid of racism. Instead, they legalized it. And now that legislation is prevalent in all aspects of our life: transportation, housing, healthcare, education — the list quite literally will never end. Oh yeah, entertainment, too! Alright, enough.
The NBA resumed play in the height of a pandemic and the social uprising after the death of George Floyd. This was a brave step, considering the fact that this virus is extremely unpredictable. But the NBA undertaking the risk proved to be necessary because of their constant commitment to keeping the conversation about racial injustices going. Some of the NBA’s biggest stars were somewhat hesitant about resuming the season because they feared it would detract from the movement, but this has been proven untrue.
Many players like Donavan Mitchell and LeBron James, to name a couple, have made postgame speeches centered around the death of yet another Black woman, Breonna Taylor, at the hands of the police. The NBA quite literally has the words Black Lives Matter plastered on center court, and each player has the option of putting a message on the back of their jerseys, some saying “Enough,” “How Many More,” and “Say Their Names,” These are all necessary steps in the plight to achieving racial inequality and police reform.
One would think that the activism would stop at the genuinely performative displays, however, the NBA, being the forward thinking association that they are, decided to go a step further. They pledged $300 million dollars — yes, you read that correctly — to create a new NBA foundation that is committed to “creating greater economic empowerment in the Black community.”
Read the quotation very slowly and notice the five key words, words that are often excluded in the conversation when celebrities and media personalities speak on the Black plight: economic empowerment of Black community. We have time and time again heard the prayers and had these uncomfortable conversations, but America's original sin cannot be repented by well wishes and talking about Trayvon Martin at the water cooler; the grips of white supremacy can’t be untightened by blacking out our display pictures on Twitter. If we wish to hash out our differences, then it's going to take more than a hashtag. You see ladies and gentlemen, if we wish to have equality, we must strive to establish equity. What the NBA is pledging to do is a great start.
