We Matter

by Etan Thomas

  One day my middle school principal, Ms. Bobbie Johnson, threatened to suspend me if I didn’t stop doing the Black Power salute during our school assemblies. We had a big debate that started in the hallway and ended in her office. I remember citing the First Amendment and saying (with all due respect) that we didn’t live in a dictatorship, and denying me freedom of speech would be not only a violation of my rights, but unconstitutional. Ms. Johnson couldn’t come up with an argument against that one.

  I remember watching NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf take his stance during the national anthem in 1996 when he was playing for the Denver Nuggets. I was amazed at how fearless he was. How strong he stood in the face of such hatred spewed in his direction. I was in high school at the time and I remember watching the backlash he received and how he stood firm in what he believed. Born Chris Jackson, the NBA point guard changed his name in 1993 after converting to Islam, a controversial decision that bothered many Americans.

  It was such an honor to be able to sit down with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. He was Kaepernick before Kaepernick. His career wasn’t cut short in 2001 due to injuries or diminishing basketball abilities; it was the result of the controversy he sparked for refusing to stand for the national anthem and calling the flag of the United States a symbol of oppression. The entire NBA, along with the rest of the country, immediately turned on him.

  Abdul-Rauf was transformed into the symbol of an ungrateful American who didn’t appreciate the riches and fame that the NBA had provided for him. He lost a great deal of money, but he proudly says he has no regrets. When I asked if I could interview him, he replied, “Whatever you want, brother,” and said that he respects me for the stances I have taken throughout the years. That was an absolute honor to hear.

  Etan: What gave you the strength and the courage to stage your protest in 1996?

  Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf: First answer is my faith in God and my relying on Him. Growing up, you see things. And you know that these things are wrong . . . seeing people in my neighborhood have this dismissive, slave-like approach to dealing with issues. And I borrowed some of that, I received some of that. And so as I began to analyze my life. I said, “Man, I don’t like the way this feels, this is not natural.” I made a decision. I said, “I gotta get out of this. I don’t want to live this way. I want to be able to speak regardless of the consequences.” And I was introduced to Malcolm by Dale Brown; he gave me the autobiography when I was at LSU. And I’m starting to read about this brother and I’m looking at how courageous he was, and I said, “This is what I’m aiming for.” And it was at that point that I started on a journey . . .

  Etan: What were some of the specific challenges you faced while you were in the NBA?

  Abdul-Rauf: The name change for some people just disturbed them. When you change your name, for a person that understands it, that’s huge because it’s just not a name change. It’s a change of ideology, it’s a change of the way you see the world and the way you’re thinking, and it frightens some people because some people want you to stay in that same place that you were before. This whole idea that because I am a Muslim, and Muslims are associated in some way with a negative radicalism and terror. Our life is in need of some radicalism sometimes, of going against the grain. That’s what protesting is and we need that. I used to have challenges with the team in terms of praying, fasting, and all of those types of things . . . I was like, “Come on, man, do a little bit of reading, educate yourself a little more.” I am big on dialogue. I don’t care what your faith is or what your political persuasion is, I think we get a lot done from sitting at the table communicating. We may not agree, but at least we can come away from the discussion fully understanding each other, and that’s missing a lot.

  Etan: You lost a lot of money but you say that you would do it all again.

  Abdul-Rauf: I definitely feel that way. When I make a decision, especially when I have thought it out, I stick to that decision. And anytime I can learn from it, I don’t look at it as a moment to have regrets. There is a quote that I have come across: Straight roads don’t make skillful drivers. In looking back at all of the decisions that I’ve made and looking back at my life now, I see the growth, I see the development, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

  Etan: Do you think Islamophobia has gotten worse since your time in the NBA?

  Abdul-Rauf: No question. It reminds me of when I read about the history of communism. America usually has to identify an enemy to be able to justify their exploitation globally. And then it was communism, everything was about communism. And now it’s Islamic terrorism . . . Of course it’s going to add to the condemnation that comes your way . . . Almost everything you see on television, and it’s a huge influence, and mostly everything you read, you’re seeing, Islamic terrorism. Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic radicalism. There is a tendency for the mind when you constantly hear this. It’s like walking the streets and you see a brother with his pants sagging down and a hood over his head, it’s like it’s ingrained in us . . . to think, Uh oh, he must be a gangster, he must be a thug. Words are powerful. Images are powerful. But that brother could be a 4.0 student and got his college paid for. We’re quick to judge based on what we hear and see every day.

  Etan: When Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem, you offered support right away. And we also saw other pioneers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jim Brown and John Carlos and Tommie Smith and Craig Hodges offer words of encouragement. Why did you feel the need to offer your immediate support?

  Abdul-Rauf: I think he understands what’s going on and he came to this conclusion on his own, because . . . he wanted to investigate before he made this move, and I thought it was extremely intelligent to do that . . . It’s nice to know that there are people out there supporting you . . . that see things in a similar way that I see them. Which is why I wanted to come out and say, “Look, man, I’m for you 1,000 percent.” Especially the reasons why he chose not to stand in terms of police brutality and oppression of Black folks, but I think he even extends further beyond that.

  Etan: I definitely agree, and as I’m watching everything unfold, I see an interesting parallel between your situation and Kaepernick’s. Correct me if I’m wrong, but not many of your teammates really had your back; they remained silent and didn’t support your First Amendment rights. Were you at all surprised?

  Abdul-Rauf: No, I wasn’t surprised. We live in a society where we’re taught in a sense to think of ourselves first and sometimes only. I understand it, but I don’t agree with it. Because these are things that we talk about all the time . . . yet when it comes to making a public declaration, we become silent because we are threatened with the loss of what we worked so hard to gain. And we’re looking at it as a loss. We’re looking at it with limited vision. We’re not thinking about the future, how this can impact the future minds and decisions of others . . . When you look at history, if you look at almost all of the individuals who we admire today, who kind of like stood alone, they didn’t have an overwhelming amount of support . . . We do what we do because the truth means more to me than the love of these things. I believe God is the best provider. So if it’s something that is meant for me, then I’m going to have it . . . I’m on a path and a journey to live with a free conscience and a free soul, whether anybody likes it or not, and whatever the consequences are, at least I can go to sleep knowing I’m free.

  Etan: A common criticism lobbed at Kaepernick is, “Who is he to speak about injustices when he has made so much money in the NFL?”

  Abdul-Rauf: Who is he not to? We’re human beings . . . We see the same things you see. We’re affected by the same things that you’re affected by. We’re asked to vote every year, we pay taxes every year. If there’s a war and prices go up, we’re affected by those prices just like you. So to use money as an argument . . . is ridiculous as far as I’m concerned . . .

  They can talk about the problems in America. But why can’t we? And a lot of it is because we’ve been cond
itioned to view athletes and entertainers just as athletes and entertainers. And now when one comes out and speaks, it doesn’t look normal. It’s like, “Wait a minute, hold on, this is not how we want people to see athletes. We want to see you self-absorbed. We want to see you into your fame and into your materialism.” It just bothers me that they bring up this stuff dealing with riches. Sometimes riches can be an instrument to purchase our silence, and when that is done, the fact that you have millions that you are trying to save makes you oppressed.

  Kaepernick’s ex–college coach had mentioned something about, “Oh, he is selfish if this is true,” and I said, “No, I disagree, I think he is selfless because he has more to lose. He has his career that he’s worked most of his life for . . . His finances are going to be threatened. His life possibly. His family’s life is threatened. So he has way more to lose.” I’m not saying that we shouldn’t think about our families or ourselves. That’s human nature. Of course we should. But the society is more important than the individual. There is a saying in African philosophy, I am because we are. How can one be happy when the rest of us are sad? It takes those persons to come outside of themselves and to view an issue as bigger than themselves . . . And this is what I love about this brother with his stand.

  Etan: That’s what makes you so special. And that’s why young athletes are going to be reading about you and learning from you and being inspired by you for decades to come. Much respect to you.

  Abdul-Rauf: And much respect to you too, and all of the athletes who are fighting for change. We have so much power, and it’s beautiful to see so many of the younger generation continue to use their voices. We can’t afford not to.

  Such an honor to shake hands with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, an athlete-activist legend. He was Kaepernick before Kaepernick.

  Kaepernick

  a poem by Malcolm Thomas

  He’s carrying on a tradition

  Of athletes taking a stand for what they believe is right,

  Who have gone through the thought of losing their jobs

  Just to stand up to the fight.

  People like

  Muhammad Ali, John Carlos, Tommie Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Craig Hodges,

  And many others who stood up even if it meant taking a few of the commentators’ bites.

  Criticizers

  Haters

  Who want to create a negative association

  Because they disagree with the presentation of his overall message.

  So during the national anthem he took a knee

  That represented the captivity of Brown and Black people in this so-called land of the free,

  Where our veterans fought so we would have the right to be the home of the brave.

  Or so they say.

  Oh say can you see,

  They tried to say he was disrespecting the military,

  But if they really cared about their well-being,

  We wouldn’t have so many homeless veterans unable to get medical treatment for their post-traumatic states,

  We wouldn’t have veterans sleeping on sidewalks and under bridges unable to get jobs or put food on their family’s plates,

  With all their Stand and take off your hats to honor those who serve in the military during the games,

  But when they come back from wars,

  Actually fighting for the United States,

  They kick them to the curb,

  Push them out like trash cans on garbage days.

  But they didn’t like Kaepernick taking a knee to call foul on their play,

  So they attacked his character and ridiculed and mocked,

  Chastised and criticized,

  Pointed fingers and talked,

  Said he was anti-American,

  Using the television to try to tear him down because he called out what wasn’t right.

  They’re all for athletes using their voices until they say something that they don’t like.

  Mmmmmmm-hmmmm. Hypocrites.

  I see them same exact media people who bring my daddy on their shows to try to get him to criticize current athletes saying, Where are the modern-day Muhammad Alis and Jim Browns today?

  But as soon as a Colin Kaepernick talks about racism and police brutality

  They wanna tell him to shut up and play.

  Hypocrites, I tell you.

  Much respect to Colin Kaepernick.

  Posing with a Black Panther ’fro with a pick in it,

  He talked of injustice that was everywhere as far as the eye can see.

  He refused to be forced to choose between one bad and one worse presidential people.

  He said both choices sucked,

  The lesser of two evils

  Wasn’t good enough options to work with,

  They was straight cheating the people like AAU tournaments.

  So now the NFL is trying to blackball him,

  Keep him from playing,

  Saying he is a negative influence and a distraction from the rest of the team was what they are claiming.

  They say he’s a bad person,

  As if Dan Snyder is a model citizen for his Washington football team organization,

  Using a racist name that he knows good and well is offensive to Native Americans.

  Y’all got rapists, murderers, and wife beaters that y’all suit up with no hesitation,

  Repeated domestic violence offenders that y’all give standing ovations,

  But y’all have the nerve to let it come out y’all mouths that Kaepernick is the one who is bad for y’all NFL organizations?

  Y’all a bunch of hypocrites!!!!

  My man Kaepernick donated sixty tons of food to Somalia,

  Just gave $50k to Meals on Wheels,

  He holds Know Your Rights camps for youth in different cities all across the country, teaching them the real deal.

  He gave money to Standing Rock,

  He wanted the Dakota Pipeline that was gonna desecrate their sacred land,

  Poison their water supply,

  And even further destroy their lives, to stop.

  He stood outside a New York City parole office and donated custom-made suits to men who just got out of jail.

  He’s getting them ready for job interviews

  So y’all don’t send them right back into your prison cells.

  AND he donated a million dollars to Black Lives Matter.

  He’s doing all of this out of the kindness of his heart,

  But they’re questioning his character?

  All this hypocrisy is just too much for me.

  Maybe my twelve-year-old mind just can’t understand y’all grown-up rationality.

  But I do know that a real revolutionary can never be stopped,

  And if they really blackball Kaepernick from the NFL,

  We need to NOT just whisper,

  NOT just threaten,

  But actually boycott.

  Malcolm wearing his favorite jersey.

  You Matter

  a poem by Etan Thomas

  For cats who weren’t born with a form of silverware

  But inner-city dental care,

  Or dudes who pursue red, white, and blue promises from people who fail the acknowledgment that for some, life just ain’t no crystal stare,

  For constant letdowns from juries who fail to purge, punish, or hold those accountable who are sworn to protect and serve,

  For those who keep hearing about all of these good cops but always encounter the bad,

  And cats who are tired of seeing victims on trial for their own murder whenever the triggerman has a badge,

  Who can’t stand seeing these wack jurors come out after the fact with how they believed the cop was guilty but for some reason couldn’t convict them,

  All I wanna do is take the chains off,

  Tired of seeing killers suddenly become victims.

  For every Emerald Snipes and Jahvaris Fulton, every Tiffany Crutcher and Allysza Castile, ever
y Cameron Sterling and Erica Garner, and every other child who has lost their loved ones to trigger-happy cops who get paid leave and GoFundMes,

  Don’t you believe for a minute that your life doesn’t matter.

  No matter the chatter across non-indictments and not-guilty verdicts,

  Don’t ever let them insert inferiority no matter how much their injustice burns.

  I know you’re perplexed by the earth because it seems to get worse when it turns

  And we’re still yearning for respect

  In a system that was built for us to fail,

  Telling us tales of freedom and justice for all,

  Gaming us like an arcade, spending our little quarters straight playing ourselves

  Until our lives are over.

  Trying to have us swinging and kicking in the air without the Wii controller,

  Straight wasting our energy.

  But this ain’t no game,

  They’re letting monsters free,