Tag: racism

NASCAR’s ‘listen and learn’ video is a start, but the real test is what happens next

NASCAR took a significant step forward, but it needs to back words up with action.

A vague statement and a handful of drivers aside, people in NASCAR remained largely silent the last couple weeks as massive protests against racism and police brutality continued across the U.S. and world.

But Sunday before the Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the sport and its biggest stars took a significant step forward with a scripted video addressing racial injustice and encouraging fans to listen and learn.

However, the video and other pre-race gestures need to be a starting point for NASCAR, rather than the finish line with an unearned checkered flag. Without action, statements and videos from those in a predominantly white, male sport are nothing more than corporate lip service in a moment in history when seemingly every other organization and company is doing the same.

In the collective video statement, drivers mention George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery by name. They addressed their responsibility to speak out and encouraged others to educate themselves and “to make real change.” They said, in part:

“The process begins with us listening and learning because understanding the problem is the first step in fixing it. We are committed to listening with empathy and with an open heart to better educate ourselves. We will use this education to advocate for change in our nation, our communities and, most importantly, in our own homes, even after the headlines go away.”

The natural follow-up question here is: How are they and NASCAR going to help “make real change”?

Let’s rewind for a moment. By the time NASCAR’s race Sunday, May 31 began, only three Cup drivers, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., Daniel Suárez, Ty Dillon, said something substantial on social media about racism or police brutality, despite six days passing since a now-former Minneapolis police officer killed Floyd. The next day, NASCAR released a statement, which left plenty to be desired.

Falling into the same traps other sports organizations (and countless companies) did, NASCAR didn’t include recent victims’ names. And although the word “racism” is in there, police brutality, systemic oppression, “black lives matter” or any noteworthy calls to action are absent.

The biggest difference between NASCAR’s original statement and the drivers’ video is the mention of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery. But that improvement doesn’t mean the industry’s work is remotely complete.

NASCAR said it’s having ongoing discussions about future actions against racism but is not ready to announce anything at this time.

The sport’s controversial history with race includes the confederate flag remaining ubiquitous at race tracks. Driver Kyle Larson was fired in April after using the N-word. And it was only three years ago that NASCAR team owners Richard Petty and Richard Childress said they’d fire employees for kneeling during the national anthem.

“Our sport has always had somewhat of a racist label to it,” Wallace said last week on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast. “NASCAR — everybody thinks redneck, confederate flag, racist. And I hate that. I hate that because I know NASCAR’s so much more.”

(It’s worth noting that Wallace, the only black driver in the Cup Series, races for Richard Petty Motorsports, while Dillon is Childress’ grandson.)

To demonstrate a concrete commitment to fighting institutional racism, the governing body could start by banning the confederate flag from races, which would be a welcomed and long-overdue gesture that’s not even a little unconstitutional. And Wallace said Monday that NASCAR’s next move should be banning the symbol of slavery.

There is also a vocal group of NASCAR fans who remain adamantly against peaceful protests during the national anthem, despite athletes across multiple sports repeatedly explaining that it’s about racism and injustice, not the flag or military. If drivers side with these fans on this topic, perhaps they could take the time to try and understand what Colin Kaepernick and so many others have said about the protest. And convey that message to NASCAR fans.

When asked about drivers, who are usually hesitate to address social issues, speaking out now, Atlanta race winner Kevin Harvick said on a Zoom call with reporters Sunday: “To be able to have conversations about things, I’m definitely a person that wants to hear a plan that has actions included in it.”

Well, create a plan with your competitors then. And say what you’re trying to say. Don’t dance around phrases like “protests against police brutality” and “black lives matter.” Be more specific than referring to Floyd’s killing and resulting protests as “what happened in Minnesota,” like Harvick did, or “the events over the past couple of weeks,” as Martin Truex Jr. did in his post-race call.

If drivers are committed to talking and learning, they could also use their considerable platforms to open up about the conversations they’re having, particular those with other white people in or outside of the garage.

Wallace and Dillon shared their conversation about racism on Instagram last week. Sunday, Kyle Busch said he had a discussion with friend and former Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart that he recorded and plans to publicize. Jimmie Johnson said he called Wallace last week “to check in on him as a friend,” along with other black friends, and had conversations about “basic human rights and being kind to one another.”

Dillon told For The Win he spent much of his last offseason educating himself about civil rights history and racism but also acknowledged his personal work is far from over. Other drivers could follow suit and explain what anti-racism resources they’re utilizing and why.

Some teams and drivers participated in Blackout Tuesday last week, but if all they did was post a black image on social media, that gesture is disappointingly performative.

To build on that, drivers and the governing body could donate to reputable organizations that fight racism, help protesters or victims of police brutality or push for criminal justice reform. And a recurring donation could have a lasting impact beyond a one-timer.

Drivers could also put some of their own money behind NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, which helps women and people of color break into the sport.

There are countless other ways NASCAR could help create change and back up its words with action, and most likely require a bit of effort. But that’s the point.

It should never be a gamble to denounce racism. But doing so without following up is just a performance, allowing the mostly white, male sport to pretend it’s doing something meaningful while really just maintaining the status quo.

Update: NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at “all NASCAR events and properties,” it announced Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 4:45 p.m. ET.

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Bubba Wallace says NASCAR should ban confederate flags: ‘Get them out of here’

Bubba Wallace also reacted to a NASCAR official kneeling for the national anthem at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

NASCAR driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. believes the governing body should outright ban confederate flags from races, the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports drivers said Monday on CNN Tonight with Don Lemon.

Wallace spoke with the CNN host about participating in a collective video statement with other big-name NASCAR drivers condemning racism and encouraging others to “listen and learn” as a way to fight injustice. Drivers posted the video to social media before Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and FOX aired it just before the green flag flew.

When Lemon asked Wallace — the only black driver at NASCAR’s top level — what the next step for NASCAR needs to be if it’s committed to fighting racism, the driver said banning the confederate flag, a symbol of slavery that’s often seen at races.

After a white supremacist shot and killed nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015, NASCAR reaffirmed its “long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity.” But it did not ban the flag.

Wallace said behind-the-scenes conversations are being had to answer questions about future action, but he explained his own suggestion:

“My next step would be to get rid of all confederate flags. There should be no individual that is uncomfortable showing up to our events to have a good time with their family that feels some type of way about something they have seen, an object they have seen flying.

“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. So it starts with confederate flags. Get them out of here. They have no place for them. The narrative on that before is I wasn’t bothered by it, but I don’t speak for everybody else. I speak for myself. What I am chasing is checkered flags, and that was kind of my narrative.

“But diving more into it and educating myself, people feel uncomfortable with that. People talk about that. That’s the first thing they bring up. So there’s going to be a lot of angry people that carry those flags proudly, but it’s time for change.”

Wallace also spoke about wearing a shirt with “I Can’t Breathe” and “Black Lives Matter” written on the front of it. He explained how, especially amid mass protests for justice and against police brutality, Sunday’s pre-race moments were emotional for him.

Before strapping into his No. 43 Chevrolet, Wallace gave his t-shirt to a crew member, who was seen holding it up while FOX aired a statement from NASCAR president Steve Phelps against racism. After a few pace laps before the race began, drivers stopped on the track, and their crew members stood on pit road after Phelps’ remarks for a moment of silence, symbolizing their commitment to listen and learn.

Wallace continued on CNN and spoke about NASCAR official Kirk Price, an Army veteran who kneeled during the pre-race prayer with his fist in the air and national anthem with a military salute. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver said if he had seen Price kneeling at the time, he would have joined him.

“I sat there on the start-finish line with tears in my eyes seeing every crew member stand on the wall, my crew members standing there proudly, holding up the shirt that I had wore pre-race that says, ‘I Can’t Breathe’ and ‘Black Lives Matter.’

“And we had our official, Kirk Price, kneel during the anthem. A member of our community that kneeled during the anthem. An African American man that kneeled during the anthem that also served our country. That speaks volumes.”

(Brynn Anderson/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Network)

Back in 2017 while people continued to argue about athletes protesting racial injustice during the national anthem by kneeling, Richard Petty, the owner of Wallace’s No. 43 Chevrolet, told USA TODAY Sports: “Anybody that don’t stand up for that ought to be out of the country. Period.”

During Wallace’s interview Monday night when Lemon interrupted the driver to ask what his reaction to seeing Price take a knee during the anthem (and pre-race prayer), Wallace explained that the official was too far on pit road to see at the time. But he said he saw images of Price after the race, and he was “blown away by that.”

Wallace continued explaining his emotions on CNN:

“I told Jimmie [Johnson] today, if I would have seen it, I would have went there and stood next to him — kneeled next to him because it’s such a powerful move. An incredible man that has served our country kneeling down, and people think it’s disrespecting the flag and going against our military. It’s definitely not.

“I was so uneducated on what the kneeling meant when it started. But now, reading about it and what it stands for and what it goes after — I’m still doing a lot of learning myself, don’t get me wrong. I don’t know everything about what’s going on in the world. But that’s what we are trying to deliver the message across: Listen and learn to be able to better educate ourselves.”

After Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta, Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney, a good friend of Wallace’s, were asked about the governing body’s confederate flag policy.

Blaney’s response was similar to Wallace’s, and he said: “I’d love to not see them at the race track, honestly, because it doesn’t make everyone comfortable.” Keselowski, however, said he only salutes the American flag, adding:

“But I’m not gonna tell people they need to get rid of it. That’s not my right either. But I certainly don’t salute it or respect it or probably anyone else who feels the same way. But, at the end of the day, it’s not our call.”

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Former Notre Dame Star Recounts Racist Encounters at School

Ian Williams played at Notre Dame from ’07-’10. He is making his voice heard now about his encounters and what he hopes protests accomplish.

Ian Williams played defensive tackle at Notre Dame from 2007-2010, recording 13 tackles for loss for the Fighting Irish before being signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.

Williams signed as an undrafted free agent, yet worked his way up to a defensive captain on the squad in 2015.  An ankle injury led to his release by the 49ers in 2016 that resulted in an injury settlement.

Williams bad ankle might not have let him continue playing professional football, but it didn’t stop him from marching and making his voice heard over the weekend.

From Eric Hansen’s piece in the South Bend Tribune:

“I saw an interesting meme on Instagram the other day,” Williams said. “So we all studied the Civil Rights movement. We all studied slavery. We’ve all sat there and thought about what we would do if we lived in that time. 

“Well, we’re doing that right now. Whatever you’d be doing then, we’re doing now. So I want to be able to tell my kids, ‘I wasn’t sitting at home watching TV, scared to go out, scared for my life. Didn’t want to risk anything for other people.” – Ian Williams

On his racist encounters while attending Notre Dame:

“Certain instances happened on campus when you were called the N-word,” he said. “‘What is this N-word doing at my party? Get this N-word out of here. No drinks for the N-words.’ It’s been multiple instances, and you just let stuff slide.

“I can’t fight you and get thrown out. I can’t mess you up, because your parent probably donates and probably paid for one of these buildings over here. So I can’t split your lip and I’m just going to let you be.” – Ian Williams

Williams went on to applaud the current Notre Dame students and players for speaking up on the issues in our society today.  If you’ve got the time it’s worth your time to see what Williams went through at a place we probably like to think such things don’t happen at.

Watch: Frank Ragnow shares how teammates have changed his perspective

During a virtual press conference with the Detroit Lions media, offensive lineman Frank Ragnow shared how teammates’ stories of racism and social injustice have changed his perspective.

On Friday, Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon shared with the media some of the conversations the Lions’ players and coaches have been having during their virtual offseason after putting football on hold to discuss racism and social injustice.

Later in the day, during his own virtual press conference, Lions’ offensive lineman Frank Ragnow shared how those conversations with Harmon and other teammates’ have changed his perspective.

Ragnow discussed how he didn’t realize just how different his life experiences were from his teammates: “Obviously, I was aware that there was a problem in this country, and I knew we are not perfectly united as a country. But I just, I’m sick to my stomach the things that I have heard from some of my teammates and some of my friends and some of my brothers that they have to worry about and they have to deal with.”

Ragnow would touch on several relevant topics but his most impactful statements came near the end of the meeting when he discussed “white privilege” and holding others responsible for their actions.

“I feel like some white people get defensive when people say ‘white privilege,'” Ragnow said. “White privilege doesn’t mean you’ve had a privileged life. It doesn’t mean you’ve had no trouble, no problems, no adversity. It just means your skin color hasn’t caused that problem. And what I’ve been able to learn from a bunch of very smart people, a bunch of people who are being impacted by this, is that I just need to listen.”

Understanding language is vital to any conversation, and when asked what he felt was his responsibility moving forward was, Ragnow responded:

“The challenge my teammates have brought to me, one of the messages I’ve got, it has to be not (just) in the public spotlight … but I have to be holding my friends in a private conversation accountable. I have to be holding my neighbor — who might have said something not acceptable — I have to hold them accountable… Because that’s how we eliminate it. We eliminate it when people think they’re the most comfortable, and we make them uncomfortable, and we make it not ok. ”

You can watch Ragnow’s entire 23-minute press conference via the Lions’ YouTube channel in the video below:

Longtime activist, Celtics legend Bill Russell speaks out on protests

Celtics legend Bill Russell spoke his mind about protesting police brutality and George Floyd recently.

Boston Celtics legendary big man Bill Russell has long been active in fighting for civil rights, even marching with Dr. Martin Luther King during the civil rights era of the 1960s.

So the 11-time champion knows better than most how cries for justice can meet deaf ears and even derision from the politicians in power. Silent on the matter of the killing of George Floyd and subsequent protests until earlier this week, Russell posted several tweets on the matter since.

One in particular took aim at one of president Donald Trump’s own tweets on protesting police brutality by taking a knee during the anthem.

Trump’s tweet read, “We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!”

Russell took issue with this idea.

“Trump you projected your narrative that #TakingAKnee is disrespectful & #UnAmerican it was never about that! You are divisive & a coward,” came his response. “It takes true courage 2 stand 4 what is right & risk your life in the midst of a #pandemic #Proud2kneel #BlackLivesMatter”

Russell also posted a number of other tweets about the Floyd killing, including one offering his condolences to the friends and family of Floyd, noting this continued cycle of unnecessary black deaths at the hands of the police has been a pandemic of sorts going on for decades.

Perhaps most poignantly, Russell related how when his wife showed him the protests taking place around the country.

She asked him if he ever thought he’d such such things yet again in his life, and the storied activist and basketball player responded in the affirmative.

“I said, ‘Yes, nothing had changed & we will see some change, but most likely not enough.'”

To underscore that point, Russell shared an image of an interview of a nation divided by black deaths and racism nearly 60 years prior with the tweet.

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Watch: Tracy Walker joins CNN to discuss change in the NFL

Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker joined CNN’s Chris Cuomo to discuss change in the NFL and remembering his cousin Ahmaud Arbery.

Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker joined CNN’s Chris Cuomo to discuss change in the NFL and remembering his cousin Ahmaud Arbery.

“It definitely means a lot,” Walker said of Roger Goodell’s video condemning racism and the systematic oppression of black people, “because that’s the first step, I feel like. Us all uniting as one to accomplish the common goal we are trying to reach — which is equality.”

When asked if he interpreted Goodell’s message as allowing players to protest on the sidelines of an NFL game, Walker pointed to the message indicating that collectively “we all need to be better”.

“We need change and we all see that,” Walker continued. “We all see that we’ve got to come together and basically unite as one. And like I said, if we don’t buy-in and unite as one, we’re going to continue to still go through this and so I feel like that’s kinda the step we’re taking right now.”

Walker wrapped up the interview talking about his cousin Arbery, focusing on the positives and remembering the person he was instead of how he died.

You can watch the entire interview in the Twitter clip from Cuomo’s show below:

Watch: Duron Harmon discusses thoughts, experiences with racism and social injustice

Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon joined local media via a virtual press conference, where he shared his thoughts and experiences on racism and social injustice.

On Friday, Detroit Lions safety Duron Harmon joined local media via a virtual press conference, where he shared his thoughts and experiences with racism and social injustice.

For nearly 30-minutes Harmon spoke open and honestly about his experiences with racism, the current events happening across the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd and the ensuing protests.

He acknowledged that now was an appropriate time to take a break from football and credited coach Matt Patricia for allowing the team to voice their frustrations in team meetings.

Harmon called Floyd’s death “heartbreaking” and how it was easy to picture himself, father, cousins, or sons in the exact same scenario. He would go on to share several of his first-hand accounts of racism, including both interactions with police and during typical everyday life activities.

Additionally, Harmon discussed how the death of Ahmaud Arbery (Lions safety Tracy Walker’s cousin) hit the team on a different level, as well as how challenging it was to explain what was happening in the world to his eight-year-old son.

Harmon would go on to discuss the importance of “being a part of something bigger”, using his platform to bring injustices to light, and why it’s important to “allocate time” and resources to these topics moving forward.

You can view the entire press conference in the video below. Please watch. Please listen.

Former Lions RB Joique Bell to lead ‘Belle Isle Freedom March’ on Friday

Former Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell helped organize and will lead the “Belle Isle Freedom March” on Friday in Detroit.

Former Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell helped organize and will lead the “Belle Isle Freedom March” on Friday in Detroit, with the goal of working towards strengthening relationships between minority communities and local police.

The march starts at 3:00 pm EST, and participants will begin silently walking from Gabriel Richard Park just before the bridge at 4:00 pm.

“It isn’t just a march just to say we did it,” Bell told Dave Birkett of the Free Press. “It’s to march and then to start a dialogue and to bridge that gap with the civilians who are Detroit citizens and also with the local police and the state police, and ultimately kind of be the staple of this is how you should go about creating a change.”

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In an effort to gain more awareness for this event, Bell reached out to the Lions and asked them to support him.

“When I called president (Rod) Wood and told him about our initiative and what we’re trying to get accomplished and what we wanted to get done, he was all in, no questions asked,” Bell said. “(Wood asked), ‘What do we need? How can we be a part? We want this to be successful and we want you guys to know that we are standing with you. That spoke volume to his character and the organization.”

The Lions have promoted the march on social media and several members of the organization, including players, plan on attending.

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Seahawks QB Russell Wilson shares own experience with racism

Speaking out on racial injustice, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson shared his own personal experience with racism as a black man.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback shared some thoughts in a Zoom interview on Wednesday but he wasn’t talking about football. Wilson chose to address the racial inequality that is plaguing the nation.

“When you think about the idea of Black Lives Matter, they do matter,” Wilson said. “The reality is that, me as a black person, people are getting murdered on the street, people are getting shot down, and the understanding that it’s not like that for every other race. It’s like that in particular for the black community. I think about my stepson, I think about my daughter, I think about our new baby boy on the way, and it’s staggering to watch these things happen right in front of our faces, so I have a heavy heart right now.”

Wilson then opened up about his own experience being an African American male, sharing a story about a recent incident that had him reeling.

Wilson recalled a time in California, shortly after the team won the Super Bowl in 2014, that he was confronted by an older white man in line for breakfast. “That’s not for you,” the man told Wilson.

“And I said, ‘Huh? Excuse me?’ I thought he was joking at first,” Wilson explained. “My back was kind of turned. I had just come off a Super Bowl and everything else, so if somebody is talking to me that way, you think about circumstance and how people talk to you. In that moment, I really went back to being young and not putting my hands in my pocket and that experience. That was a heavy moment for me right there. I was like, man, this is really still real, and I’m on the West Coast. This is really real right now.”

Wilson said he chose not to confront the man – “not lash back out in the moment” – but stood up for himself, saying, “Excuse me, sir, but I don’t appreciate you speaking to me that way.”

“Being black is a real thing in America,” Wilson said. “It’s a real thing in the sense of the history and the pain, even my own family, personally.”

Here’s Wilson’s statement he issued on June 1.

You can listen to his entire Zoom interview here.

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Drew Brees’ apology only shows he still does not understand

He still doesn’t get it.

Drew Brees, of course, apologized this morning.

The New Orleans quarterback said Wednesday, when asked about the prospect of NFL players once again taking a knee during the national anthem to protest inequality, that he “will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.” That led, literally, to people in New Orleans cursing his name.

The apology, of course, is inept. I assume some public relations consultant under the employ of the Saints or Brees himself helped to shape the statement, but it could have just as easily been conjured up by the most basic AI program using all the flimsy statements released in recent days by teams and corporations.

It sounds nice. It tries to soar. It says nothing.

Booger McFarland, always one to state the obvious, stated the obvious immediately:

If Drew Brees can’t simply type out — or pay somebody to type out for him — these words, then there’s no need to bother with a supposed apology:

“I’m sorry for misconstruing the point of Colin Kaepernick’s protest and now understand that, truly, I should simply listen and try to learn.”

That’s it. That’s what Drew Brees needs to say. And he did not. Would not.

Brees obviously thinks his hard-line stance on standing for the anthem and flag is patriotic. And that his view — which he says is informed by the fact that he had relatives who fought in wars — is supreme.

Drew Brees sees Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem and does not ask, “Why do you kneel?” He says, instead: “You are disrespecting the flag of the United States of America and our country.”

He doesn’t even give Kaepernick the dignity of owning his own action. He doesn’t even offer him a moment to try to explain a gesture meant to stoke discussion.

Brees has head nearly four years — FOUR YEARS — to try to understand why his gut reaction is wrong. To listen to Kaepernick himself say it’s not about the military. To understand that Kaepernick literally sought out a Green Beret, Nate Boyer, to understand how best to *respectfully* protest.

Brees ignores all of that. Only his interpretation matters to him.

What remains most disgusting about Brees’ outlook is that he — one of the greatest to ever play the game of football, an idol to millions — upholds the most basic canard used by racists to ignore or disable what Kaepernick and so many others are expressing: That unless it is said in a manner meant not to offend, it does not need to be heard.

What an absurd notion. One that disrespects the ethos upon which this country — a forceful protest against tyranny — was founded. Kneeling, or shouting in the streets, to point out that America hasn’t come close to establishing the freedom it sought to create is absolutely the most American thing to do.

Brees refuses to see that. He speaks instead of “unity” in the wake of another black man’s death at the hands of police. How grotesque.

Brees proclaims “I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy.”

A real ally would at least try to understand the mission of those he would help.

He says he will listen to the black community, but he hasn’t and shows no willingness or ability to start.

He still prefers to tell them what they mean when they dare to try to speak.

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