Who would’ve thought four years ago, in 2016, that then-49ers QB Colin Kaepernick and defensive back Eric Reid would start a movement by taking a knee during the national anthem?
In 2016, this form of peaceful protest was seen by many Americans as disrespectful to the United States.
What a difference four years, a global pandemic, and a death by a knee on a neck make.
In 1992, I actively took part in the LA uprising after the acquittal of the four
LAPD officers in the beating of Rodney King. For decades, people in mainly Black and Brown communities spoke of beatings and executions of unarmed citizens by the hands of law enforcement.
In 1991, finally, we had
video evidence—the same
type of evidence that had
been used against citizens in
shoplifting, bank robberies,
etc. But that didn’t mean anything to the people of Simi
Valley, where the King trial
was held. Not Guilty…
No support from professional sports figures.
No help from the majority
population en masse.
No public service announcements.
That was 1992. It’s twentyeight years and one generation later in 2020—and now?
Change is here.
Black Lives Matter is a
part of the four major sports
leagues in North America.
Honestly, it’s everywhere in
sports. Baseball has players
kneeling; the women’s soccer league had their national
television opening with all
players taking a knee and
donning “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts.
NASCAR has banned the
Confederate flag at the behest
of Bubba Wallace, the motor sport’s most visible Black
driver. The NHL has “We
skate for Black lives” banners,
and the Premiere LaCrosse
League (yes, America has a
PLL) had its championship
game televised, with the winning team sporting “Black
Lives Matter” patches on their
jerseys.
On Aug. 16, at the Spanish
Grand Prix, all drivers either
took a knee before the race or
wore “Black Lives Matter” or
“End Racism” T-shirts. The
race? Barcelona, Spain.
You know who isn’t happy
about this: President Donald
Trump. He called the painting
of Black Lives Matter on Fifth
Avenue in front of Trump
Plaza a “symbol of hate.” Fox
Sports Radio’s number one
host, Clay Travis of “Outkick the Coverage,” has railed
against Black Lives Matter, as
well as helped to spread disinformation about COVID and
helped to fuel racial tensions
on his platforms.
It was Fox stations that
from 2016 told Black athletes to “just shut up and play
sports.”
No. Athletes and their
leagues are now fully engaged
in criminal and social justice
reform and are clearly using
their platforms to show the
intersection of Black athletes
and the communities that they
come from.
The theme: equal justice,
equal access, equal rights for
all Americans.
Twenty-five years after I
took part in the LA uprisings,
25 years after I appeared on
the Ed Gordon BET Special “Black Men Speak on
Black Men in America,” and
24 years after my voice was
amplified on Dr. Dre’s album
“The Chronic” in 1993.
In December 2017, I appeared on stage as a panelist
on the San Quentin Newssponsored Sports and Social
Justice panel. On the panel
were Eric Reid and Robbie
Gould of the 49ers; the general manager of the Golden
State Warriors, Bob Myers;
the legendary Dr. Harry Edwards. Host was Van Jones,
political analyst and founder
of Cut50.
This was the culmination of
a vision of Arnulfo T. Garcia,
the late former editor-in-chief,
who saw San Quentin News as
more than just a prison newspaper. He envisioned SQNews
as a vehicle and a convergence
and intersection of all voices
within society—the powerless
speaking to and listening to
the powerful.
The San Quentin News
has been in the forefront of
bringing district attorneys and
politicians together with the
incarcerated citizens that they
represent, as well as police
chiefs and public defenders
and having them meet state
senators and judges to see the
results of self-help programs.
And how even sports can
be a model for what rehabilitation can look like behind the
walls.
COVID-19 didn’t stop this
movement. It amplified it and
made it an international affair.
