Admittedly, I have a soft spot for Abdul-Jabbar, having re-entered the world of the NBA just as he and Magic Johnson began their run in the early 1980s (and after they, and Larry Bird, retired, I stopped watching the game because it became unwatchable, “look-at-me” nonsense…but I digress).
More important, with 1.65 million Twitter followers, Jabbar reaches a big audience, part of which I am guessing does not see other political analysis. He stands as a symbol, as well, to all the other athletes who stay silent lest they endanger endorsements, certainly that’s true of athletes still playing but it’s also true for those who have retired (exemplified by Michael Jordan–who, with a single phone call or public statement, probably could have stopped Nike from doing business with child slave labor factories in China).
So, Kareem, you have the stage.
In Time magazine, he begins by invoking the 1971 riot at Attica Correctional Facility in New York which became a symbol and, then, moves to present day:
I hope the chanting of “Ferguson! Ferguson!” and the symbolic upraised arms of surrender will become a new cry of outrage over social injustice that will embed itself in our popular culture as deeply as Attica did.As always, there will be blacklash.
Many white people think that these cries of outrage over racism by African Americans are directed at them, which makes them frightened, defensive, and equally outraged. They feel like they are being blamed for a problem that’s been going on for many decades, even centuries. They feel they are being singled out because of the color of their skin rather than any actions they’ve taken. They are angry at the injustice. And rightfully so. Why should they be attacked and blamed for something they didn’t do?
Which is exactly how black people feel.
And:
The difference is that when the media frenzy dies down, and columnists, pundits, and newscasters take a break from examining the causes of social evils, white people get to go back to their lives in relative freedom and security. But blacks still have to worry about being harassed or shot by police. About having their right to vote curtailed by hidden poll taxes. Of facing a biased judicial system.Every. Single. Day.
The people of Ferguson, and across the country, are not protesting against white people or police officers, they are protesting against the kind of racism that is so embedded in various social institutions that it’s invisible to all except those it affects. They are protesting a blind faith in any institution when the facts don’t warrant that faith.
And:
That’s why I think people should peacefully protest whenever they believe there’s an injustice to be addressed. But we have to remember that the goal of protesting is to raise awareness in those that don’t agree. This is not done instantly, through one gathering. Nor is it done through the persistent occupation of one space. It has to be a national movement, and it has to keep its energy high. When enough people across the country gather to say something, more and more people will listen.[emphasis added]
Finally:
While the word “Attica” has become synonymous with “oppression,” perhaps one day the word “Ferguson” will be inducted into American pop culture as meaning “justice.”
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