Kareem Abdul-Jabbar pens moving essay defending George Floyd protesters
A powerful, must-read essay.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a retired Lakers star and a political activist, published an essay in the L.A. Times on Sunday, and it was an excellent conversation-starter amid the George Floyd protests.
Abdul-Jabbar urged people not to rush to judgement of protestors. He pointed out that perhaps there are more important — or more complicated — issues at hand than social distancing. He also urged people not to judge those committing vandalism. He understood the reaction that those destroying buildings and businesses are “putting the cause backward.” But he knows it’s not that simple. Here’s a powerful passage from his essay:
“You’re not wrong — but you’re not right, either. The black community is used to the institutional racism inherent in education, the justice system and jobs. And even though we do all the conventional things to raise public and political awareness — write articulate and insightful pieces in the Atlantic, explain the continued devastation on CNN, support candidates who promise change — the needle hardly budges.
“But COVID-19 has been slamming the consequences of all that home as we die at a significantly higher rate than whites, are the first to lose our jobs, and watch helplessly as Republicans try to keep us from voting. Just as the slimy underbelly of institutional racism is being exposed, it feels like hunting season is open on blacks. If there was any doubt, President Trump’s recent tweets confirm the national zeitgeist as he calls protesters ‘thugs’ and looters fair game to be shot.
“Yes, protests often are used as an excuse for some to take advantage, just as when fans celebrating a hometown sports team championship burn cars and destroy storefronts. I don’t want to see stores looted or even buildings burn. But African Americans have been living in a burning building for many years, choking on the smoke as the flames burn closer and closer. Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in.”
It’s a poetic and important argument that should help people ask more questions about the protests — before providing their own answers.
There’s no easy solution to end racism and stop the injustices happening to black people in America. And so Abdul-Jabbar put together this beautiful essay, which you should read in full, while others continue to protest to express their anger and sadness at the loss of George Floyd.