Mike Krzyzewski encourages Duke students to register to vote

Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski urged students to vote to help end systemic racism and social inequality in the U.S.

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Duke University men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski on Thursday encouraged students on campus to register to vote to help end systemic racism and social inequality in the United States.

The speech by Krzyzewski came just one day after the Milwaukee Bucks opted to boycott Game 5 on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old unarmed Black man, on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

“Systemic racism and social injustice are here,” Krzyzewski said. “In order to solve a problem, you have to acknowledge it. Today is for all of us to acknowledge this problem and to share our feelings.”

Krzyzewski said his players, along with the women’s basketball team and football team, would register to vote on Thursday following his speech and would have a better understanding of mail-in voting. He encouraged all students to register to vote in the election in November.

“I’m not telling you who to vote for but if we don’t get the proper leadership at every level of our country, this is not going to go away,” Krzyzewski said. “We can see the police brutality but what you don’t see is the amount of educational opportunities that are deprived of young Black kids, health and welfare opportunities [and] economic opportunities. These things can only be changed with proper leadership and organization. The first step in that is for all us to vote.”

Athletes from across all sporting leagues have used their platform to encourage younger fans to register to vote. Players in the NBA have worn “Vote” on their jerseys during the season restart and are hoping to implement a plan of action to help fans register to vote.

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