Sports are back ladies and gentleman, but don’t forget…
Black Lives Still Matter.
With MLB’s opening day launching yesterday and the NBA’s regular season returning in about a week’s time, it’s going to be amazing to watch some games.
And while there is nothing wrong with enjoying some athletic competition, we cannot let sports be a distraction from the more important issue at hand.
Our fellow Americans are still fighting for their freedoms.
Simply summarized, Black Lives Still Matter.
And while it’s easy to act like everyone has this intense passion for the BLM movement, it could just be the flavor of the month and the socially acceptable thing to do while in the midst of a pandemic. It’s probable that BLM wouldn’t have garnered the same support, had we all not been locked in our houses.
Like the many wrongly-convicted, over-sentenced, and disproportionately high number of African-Americans locked in jail cells.
So, while all of our freedoms return, the Black community in America is still fighting for theirs.
And the government is fighting back, literally…
The recent deployment of Federal Troops in Portland should be a sign that we are still as far from normalcy as possible, yes, deployment of troops fighting our own citizens.
And while there is a huge difference between peaceful protests and senseless rioting. Our government should be there to protect us. Not kidnap, assault, and harass U.S nationals, for utilizing the first amendment.
The same inalienable right that allows soccer players to kneel before matches, the pushing of Bubba Wallace’s car to the front of the pack, and the NBA in scripture of “Black Lives Matter” on their bubble league court.
But it’s not just up to the sporting world to push this fight forward, it’s up to everyone, all of us.
This could prove one of the most pivotal times in world history. Coronavirus numbers are rising again, uncertainty clings to every facet of life, and killer bees have emerged in America. And while some of the more passionate activists remain out on the street. It does feel like numbers are starting to dwindle.
The movement could subside as quickly as it began and we cannot let that happen. We’ve been here before, in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and again in the 2000’s, and again and again and again.
The push for equality isn’t new, but hopefully our persistence on the issue is.
The U.S. should be scared right now, and not because your neighbor isn’t wearing a mask. We could be on the precipice of making lasting change for all minority groups, but if we stop, George Floyd’s daughter could face the same fate as her dad.
Is this a bit of an overreaction? No.
Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, those aren’t just names, those are our fellow humans murdered by the police.
In terms of structural change, we haven’t seen the support needed to enhance African-Americans lives.
Sure
Some police officers may have been fired, The Washington Football Team is changing their name, and, well, nothing else really.
This feels like window dressing. There has been nothing definitive in terms of restructuring voting districts, improving educational opportunities, and creating a holistic economic package in poverty-stricken areas.
Until these aspects of institutionalized racism have been addressed, and amended. Then the fight continues.
Sports are coming back, but only for the African-Americans who are still with us today.
