Rob Speaks: What If Jordan Had Remained Silent?
The NBA's G.O.A.T. and majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets Michael Jordan recently released a statement in response to the senseless police brutality that has plagued the nation in recent weeks saying "I can longer stay silent." He even went a step further in pledging a million dollars to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s newly established Institute for Community-Police Relations.
"As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers. I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well." Michael Jordan
I personally applaud Jordan for speaking out and for his financial contributions but my question is what if he had remained silent?
Let's be honest nothing would've changed.
I would've been more interested in hearing MJ talk about North Carolina's LGBT discriminate House Bill 2 (HB2) that cost the City of Charlotte the 2017 NBA All-Star weekend and over $100 million dollars in revenue.
Since we're talking about "senseless acts of violence" how about Mr. Jordan speak on the ridiculous price of the shoes that bear his name and the violence that young people commit against each other just to have the "Air Jordan" brand on their feet. I'm not trying to short sell what Jordan said this week but its funny to me that to this date we have never heard him speak on what I'll call the "Jordan Brand Violence" that has plagued the African-American community dating back to the 90's.
As a 38 year old man I grew up in the "Jordan Era" of dominance in the NBA and I've been rocking "J's" off and on since my first pair in 1985 but I've never looked to Jordan as a voice of social change for Black America, I've only ever looked at him as an athlete.
Period...
