We Matter Read online

  Table of Contents

  ___________________

  Introduction

  CHAPTER 1: THE CHILDREN OF THE MOVEMENT

  Jahvaris Fulton (Brother of Trayvon Martin)

  Emerald Snipes (Daughter of Eric Garner)

  Tiffany Crutcher (Sister of Terence Crutcher)

  Allysza Castile (Sister of Philando Castile)

  CHAPTER 2: ATHLETE ACTIVISM MATTERS

  Michael Eric Dyson

  Dwyane Wade

  Carmelo Anthony

  Bill Russell

  CHAPTER 3: THE KAEPERNICK MOVEMENT MATTERS

  Eric Reid

  Torrey Smith

  David West

  Shannon Sharpe

  CHAPTER 4: STANDING UP TO POLICE BRUTALITY MATTERS

  Russell Westbrook

  Anquan Boldin

  James Blake

  Thabo Sefolosha

  CHAPTER 5: COACHES AND MANAGEMENT USING THEIR VOICES MATTERS

  Ted Leonsis

  Mark Cuban

  Steve Kerr

  Kenny Smith

  Adam Silver

  CHAPTER 6: STANDING UP FOR BLACK LIVES MATTER MATTERS

  Bomani Jones

  Bradley Beal

  Swin Cash

  Tamika Catchings

  CHAPTER 7: IGNORING CRITICS AND HATERS MATTERS

  Jamal Crawford

  John Carlos

  Juwan Howard

  Craig Hodges

  CHAPTER 8: SPEAKING OUT IN THE AGE OF TRUMP MATTERS

  Michael Wilbon

  Chris Hayes

  Alonzo Mourning

  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

  CHAPTER 9: CONNECTING WITH ACTIVISTS MATTERS

  Harry Edwards

  Ilyasah Shabazz

  Shaun King

  CHAPTER 10: HAVING “THE TALK” WITH YOUNG MALE ATHLETES MATTERS

  Valerie Castile (Mother of Philando Castile)

  Chris Webber

  Joakim Noah & Derrick Rose

  CHAPTER 11: HAVING “THE TALK” WITH YOUNG FEMALE ATHLETES MATTERS

  Chamique Holdsclaw

  Soledad O’Brien

  Jemele Hill & Michael Smith

  Laila Ali & Curtis Conway

  CHAPTER 12: FIGHTING FOR YOUR RIGHTS MATTERS

  Oscar Robertson

  Jimmy King & Ray Jackson

  John Wall

  CHAPTER 13: EDUCATION MATTERS

  Scoop Jackson

  Michael Bennett

  Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

  “Kaepernick,” a poem by Malcolm Thomas

  “You Matter,” a poem by Etan Thomas

  Afterword by Dave Zirin

  About Etan Thomas

  Copyright & Credits

  About Edge of Sports Books

  About Akashic Books

  Introduction

  Over the past decade, we have witnessed an unprecedented number of athletes across all sports using their positions, their platforms, their celebrity, and the power of their voices for change. Athletes have a unique ability to influence fashion, pop culture, and politics with their actions. It is refreshing to see many acting on their convictions. Muhammad Ali once said, “I don’t have to be who you want me to be. I’m free to be who I want.”

  Athletes of today are following in the footsteps of pioneers before them, which is why it was such an honor to be able to interview figures such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Dr. John Carlos, Oscar Robertson, Dr. Harry Edwards, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, and Craig Hodges for this book. Their wisdom and courage laid the groundwork for athletes of today to be able to speak freely on various issues that affect us as a society.

  Today, there is a new resurgence of this athlete-activist we love and hold in such high regard. They are courageous, high profile, have access to millions with a push of a button thanks to social media, and they are ready and willing to risk fame, fortune, and endorsements, and endure criticism, to stand up for what they believe in. It was a great pleasure to have been able to sit down with modern-day activists such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Swin Cash, Michael Bennett, Eric Reid, Laila Ali, Russell Westbrook, Tamika Catchings, and many others.

  Today’s athlete-activists have delved into politics, current events, presidential elections, Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, murders at the hands of the police, mass incarceration, and the list goes on and on. In this book, I have interviewed over fifty different athletes, members of the media, and the families of the victims of police shootings for many reasons: to highlight and discuss this new wave of athlete activism; to dispel the myth that current athletes are not connected and affected by what goes on not only within the confines of their own communities, but across society as a whole; to give credit and pay homage to the athletes of yesteryear who have paved the way for the Colin Kaepernicks and LeBron James’s of the world to be as vocal as they are today; and to encourage athletes of the future to continue to use their voices to bring about change. Unfortunately, there will undoubtedly be many more murders at the hands of the police, acts of police brutality, and other injustices for athletes to speak out about. Which is why it is important to create an atmosphere where their effectiveness and opinions do in fact matter. In this book, you will hear firsthand accounts from family members of victims of police violence as they express how appreciative they are for the athletes who have spoken out and have brought awareness to the deaths of their loved ones. You will also hear personal accounts from athletes as to what made them decide to use their voices in particular cases.

  When I first started putting together this book, and was thinking of different people who I wanted to interview, I imagined it would be on a much smaller scale. I honestly didn’t think that so many prominent athletes, many of whom I have idolized my entire life, would be so eager to sit down and allow me to interview them, and would give such in-depth interviews. I have had Dr. John Carlos’s picture on my wall since high school. I read Kareem’s book and watched videos of him playing in elementary school. I studied Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf in high school. I remember doing a research paper on Bill Russell that my teacher thought was so good, she had me present it to the high school when I was still in middle school. I was equally surprised that so many accomplished media personalities and authors would so quickly agree to be a part of this project. They couldn’t wait to delve into these topics, and the amount of time they took to answer each question and properly explore the subject really amazed me. They weren’t giving surface one-sentence answers; they were thinking about these matters carefully and thoroughly.

  What also surprised me was the number of current athletes, many of whom were in the middle of their seasons, who cleared their schedules to speak with me. Some had reporters literally waiting for them as they took the time to sit down with me and explore the topic at hand. Picture Carmelo Anthony after a game and having the entire New York media waiting to interview him about the latest Phil Jackson statement, or trade rumor, or New York media gossip, and him asking them all to be patient once I told him what this interview was for, and him sitting down with me for fifteen or twenty minutes as all that media became invisible. That’s the kind of eagerness I have been met with by just about every person I interviewed. These are people whose schedules are typically managed by an entire team of handlers. Who in many cases bypassed the wishes of their management team to work the interview into their schedule. They genuinely cared.

  I want younger athletes to read this book and be inspired. I want them to hear directly from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA CEO Mark Cuban, and Washington Wizards CEO Ted Leonsis as they express their respect for the history of athlete activism and their appreciation for the current wave of young athletes using their voices. (Note that I generally avoid using the term owner, for obvious reasons; instead I usually go with
CEO.) I want them to read about what the Los Angeles Clippers accomplished when they got Donald Sterling fired as CEO of the team after his racist tapes came out. I want them to read how the Missouri football team’s announcement that they were going to boycott all football-related activities forced the university to take immediate action against President Tim Wolfe, who had been under fire from the student body for his refusal to address various racially charged incidents that had taken place on campus. I want them to read about the Oklahoma University football team who banded together for a silent protest over a racist frat video, resulting in the closing of the fraternity as a whole and the expulsion of two Sigma Alpha Epsilon students who were caught on video talking about lynchings and keeping African Americans out of the fraternity. I want them to read about how Thabo Sefolosha sued five NYPD officers for false arrest, excessive force, malicious prosecution, and false imprisonment after they broke his leg. I want them to hear the words of Russell Westbrook as he speaks out on behalf of the Crutcher family after Terence Crutcher was murdered. I want them to be inspired by hearing Carmelo Anthony discuss marching with the people of Baltimore after Freddie Gray was murdered. I want them to be inspired by hearing ESPN’s Jemele Hill discuss the fact that Serena Williams has had to take on racism, sexism, and body-shaming, and how she hasn’t allowed it to stop her one bit. I want them to be empowered hearing Soledad O’Brien discuss Dominique Moceanu speaking out on abuse at USA Gymnastics. I want them to feel inspired by Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings as they explain how the WNBA used their collective voices to take a stand after the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. I want all of this to be motivation for young people to continue carrying the torch of athletes using their voices.

  Throughout this book, I make multiple references to my son Malcolm’s Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) team, the First Baptist of Glenarden Dynamic Disciples 13u, because it is important to start telling athletes from a young age about the tremendous amount of power they have. It is also important to teach them the value of accepting guidance from the older generations, and how advantageous it is to connect with and learn from activists and elders who have already been where they are about to go, à la Malcolm X mentoring Muhammad Ali and Dr. Harry Edwards mentoring Colin Kaepernick. Preparation is key. It has grown abundantly clear that we can’t expect high schools, universities, or agents to properly prepare athletes for what they will face in society; how they will be treated differently; how much more will be expected of them; how to handle criticism which is sure to come their way (especially if they decide to utilize their voice and their platform); the importance of knowing their rights, their self-worth, and the law; how to not be taken advantage of, whether by the NCAA, the NBA, agents, managers, or anyone else who doesn’t value their greatness and wants to exploit them in any way they possibly can; and how to follow the financial models of people like LeBron James and Michael Jordan to create wealth and financial opportunities for their communities. I want this book to become required reading for all young athletes.

  As this book goes to press, President Trump has recently launched a vigorous attack on any and every protesting NFL player, and on the league for not disciplining them. The president has sent numerous tweets demanding that the NFL force players to stand at attention during the national anthem. The majority of NFL players and CEOs seem to grasp that this is in fact a democracy and not a dictatorship, and that real freedom of speech and freedom of expression are values that make up a democracy. Trump may have unintentionally added fuel to the fire of justice.

  Unfortunately, the firestorm created by the president has somewhat confused what the protests are all about. They were never about him, or the military, or the flag. They are about the killings of unarmed Black men by the police and the absence of justice for those deaths. One of the most difficult aspects of this project was interviewing the children, siblings, and other family members of those who have been killed by the police. There were so many times when I struggled to keep my composure as they expressed the devastation that still affects them today. I saw their hands tremble and their eyes water as they discussed the details of their losses. I saw the pain in their eyes as they talked about their struggles for justice for their lost loved ones, and their dedication and connection to each other’s cases—sometimes for people they’d never even met before.

  But I also saw how thankful they are for athletes speaking out on their behalf. They were overwhelmed with appreciation, couldn’t say thank you enough. They all expressed initial shock not only at the fact that the athletes might be wearing a shirt that supported their loved one, or a hoodie, but even more when they heard the various athletes expressing personal connections with their stories. How these stories made the athletes reflect upon their own children, as Dwyane Wade expressed after the murder of Trayvon Martin. Or the passion with which they publicly spoke, even in a state as conservative as Oklahoma—as Russell Westbrook did following the murder of Terence Crutcher. Many people feel that athletes exist in some protective bubble and aren’t affected by things that happen in day-to-day society. After reading this book, you will see that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Chapter 1

  The Children of the Movement

  My son Malcolm was six years old at the time of Trayvon Martin’s murder. He was a fun-loving kid, liked sports, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and swimming. Everyone thought he was absolutely adorable. People would look at his long dreadlocks, his big smile, they would admire his kind and playful heart, and they would comment on how respectfully he spoke to adults. He was a big kid; I am 6'10" and my wife is 6'0" so Malcolm was head and shoulders above everyone else in his class. But I had to explain to him that he will not always be viewed as a cute little kid. That as he gets older, so tall for his age, he will be looked at as a threat. He had an innocence that I had to ruin for him. He was still under the impression that everyone would be treated fairly.

  The case of Trayvon Martin was disturbing on so many levels that I don’t even know where to begin. According to published reports, on February 26, 2012, Trayvon had gone to a 7-Eleven before the start of the NBA All-Star Game. He was walking back through a gated community; he had been visiting a member of that very community. George Zimmerman, who was not a member of any police force but rather a neighborhood watch volunteer, called 911 to report “a suspicious person” in the neighborhood.

  Zimmerman: “Hey, we’ve had some break-ins in my neighborhood and there’s a real suspicious guy . . . This guy looks like he’s up to no good or he’s on drugs or something . . .” He later informed the dispatcher that the guy looked Black.

  He then said, “He’s just staring at me.”

  While on the phone with the dispatcher, Zimmerman explained that Martin was “running.” When asked where, he replied, “Entrance to the neighborhood.” On the recording you can hear deep breathing as the dispatcher asks Zimmerman, “Are you following him?”

  Zimmerman replies, “Yeah,” and the dispatcher clearly says, “We don’t need you to do that.”

  From this tape, it sounds as if Trayvon was the one who was scared, which would be understandable. If I turned around and saw a man looking at me from an SUV in the dark for no apparent reason, I would be a little uneasy myself.

  When police arrived, seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin, who had a squeaky-clean record, no priors, and only a bag of Skittles, an iced tea, his cell phone, and his headphones, was dead from a gunshot wound.

  Zimmerman wasn’t arrested, even though he admitted to the shooting, because the police claimed to not have probable cause and Zimmerman claimed self-defense.

  My question is, what exactly constitutes self-defense?

  An unfortunate reality is that in Zimmerman’s mind, he didn’t have to see a gun, or actually see Trayvon doing something wrong. All he saw was that he was Black, as he repeated two times in the short 911 call. Is the unfortunate reality that “young Black male” equals “threat,” and “young Black male at night�
� even more so?

  Never mind the fact that most guidelines for how you run a neighborhood watch have a primary rule of thumb that you are not supposed to be armed.

  I won’t dwell on the fact that over a span of eight years, Zimmerman had called police forty-six times, or that in 2005 he was charged with resisting arrest with violence toward a police officer—that alone should have made him questionable as a self-styled neighborhood watch captain.

  Nor am I going to argue that the Florida “Stand Your Ground” law shouldn’t have been applicable in this case for the simple fact that, as heard in the released tapes, Zimmerman left his vehicle and went after Trayvon.

  Nor am I going to make the race of Zimmerman an issue.

  To quote Rev. Al Sharpton: “The race/ethnicity of Zimmerman or any citizen in this type of scenario doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day, it is the race of the victim—Trayvon—that does matter. It is his race and his demographic that is consistently depicted as the threat, and negatively portrayed in popular culture.”

  It is this perception that I had to teach my son—the unfortunate reality that in Zimmerman’s mind, he was justified and understandably afraid as soon as he laid eyes on young Trayvon. He didn’t see a cute little kid who was drinking an iced tea. He saw a threat, a criminal, someone who could be on drugs or “up to no good.”

  I had to ruin my son’s rosy view of the world we live in. I had to teach him that:

  1) There are going to be people who view you as the enemy when you have done nothing wrong.

  2) You are going to be harassed and accused, and some people will be terrified of you.

  3) If the police stop you, try to get to a well-lit area and don’t make any sudden moves.

  4) Keep your hands visible. Avoid putting them in your pockets.

  5) Orally broadcast your actions (e.g., “Officer, I am now reaching into my pocket for my license”).

  6) Always get the receipt after making a purchase, no matter how small, so no one can falsely accuse you of theft later.

  7) Many times, actually being guilty has nothing to do with being viewed as guilty.