Black lives should be valued equally. Black lives deserve justice. Yes – Black lives MATTER!
I was a Math teacher for 11 years. I know a tough equation when I see one. No, this one is quite simple. We should all be able to agree on the correct answer. And yet, the math seems to be very difficult for us right now. Some want practice subtraction and division and frame it as a political issue. I’ve had enough of that. It’s time for us to work more on our addition and multiplication. In order to do this, we have to see it as a human issue.
I’m looking for people that will add and multiply in my life.
A week ago Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks became a multiplier. They decided at the last moment that they just couldn’t take the court for their playoff game with the Orlando Magic. They put out a statement to tell us why.
“Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball.”
It was a shocking moment that transcended the sports world. Within minutes, other NBA teams said they didn’t feel they could take the court either. Then we heard from WNBA players. MLS soccer games were postponed. Major League Baseball games were postponed. Tennis player, Naomi Osaka, said she wouldn’t play her semi-final match the next day.
The Milwaukee Bucks, whether they knew it or not, were practicing addition and multiplication. Their words and actions lit a fire and created positive, unifying energy. For me personally, they shook me. It was a sudden jolt. It was a reminder that people are hurting and I need to continue to pay attention to it.
As I wrote earlier, I was a Math teacher for 11 years. It’s very clear to me that we’ve spent too much time on subtraction and division. It’s separating us and preventing us from solving problems and helping each other. It’s also literally killing us.
In the course of the last few years, I’ve learned about some new tools that do the same thing as subtracting and dividing:
Embellishing.
Lying.
Deflecting.
Politicizing.
Weaponizing.
Taking Out of Context
Many of our leaders use these tools all the time. What they are really doing is dividing us. They are hoping to frustrate us. They want us to become so exasperated that we stop caring. They are counting on us to give up because we feel we can’t make a difference.
Van Jones is the CEO of the REFORM Alliance for Criminal Justice reform and a CNN Analyst. Van is another person that adds and multiplies. He talks and listens to people from all walks of life.
He recently summarized the current state of affairs in the U.S. as such:
There are 3 sources of Civil Unrest and Violence in our nation right now:
- Police violence against black people and people of color
- Rioters and looters at otherwise peaceful protests
- Vigilante groups coming to cause trouble
All 3 of these sources must be named and stopped.
This is the truth. And it is the unifying message that would add and multiply. It’s that simple.
And yet many of our leaders use division on us. They only talk about some of these sources. They minimize the importance of the first one. Some even deny its existence.
I support the police and law enforcement. But we have to work to find a new way of doing things.
Bob Bradley is the Head Coach of LAFC, an MLS soccer team based in Los Angeles. Bob used to be the coach of the US National Team. He has coached in Norway, England and was the coach of the Egyptian National Team during civil unrest there. Bob is another multiplier. He said it best last week:
“We need a real discussion about policing. That is real simple So the ‘we’ in this case is all of us who … see these videos, we see these incredible murders, sad, sad families over and over and over, and we can’t let the rhetoric and the misinformation and the lies get in the way of what we need to do. We can’t be against each other. We’ve got to find a way to change that. … We need to find the right way to speak respectfully to police, who have a hard job, to work with police for new ways of policing, de-escalation. We’ve got to make sure that now we are winning this moment, all right?”
“Black Lives Matter is simple: For too long in this country, black lives didn’t matter. And so enough of us must make sure that we’re together in that belief. And whether you wear the [Black Lives Matter] T-shirt, whether you stand for the national anthem, whether you kneel for the national anthem, those aren’t the important issues. The important issue is we believe there must be changes, and now it’s more than just a gesture. It’s finding real ways”
“I believe that there’s enough people in the right side of all of this, but man oh man, if we let the words and the lies divide us, then they’re winning, then we’re losing, then we’re not smart, then we’re not good enough.”
“Come on, there’s enough people in our country, I’m optimistic. I believe there’s enough people in our country that look at some of these incidents … incidents we must agree is wrong. And then we must work with the police to find a way it doesn’t happen again.”
“When I speak to the players, we talk about what’s going on and how we must find a way to stand together. I really want the players to understand and think for themselves. I don’t want them to feel that they are going to be viewed one way or another by whether they put a T-shirt on or whether they stand or kneel. What I want them to understand is that we must all fundamentally see what’s going on that’s wrong, and we must as a team stand for change, we must as a club find a real way to not just put out a statement, but be involved in communities to find ways so that we are really, truly doing something that matters.”
Doc Rivers is the coach of the L.A. Clippers. He was definitely a multiplier last week. His impassioned statement at his post-game press conference hit home:
“The training has to change in the police force. The unions have to be taken down in the police force. My dad was a cop. I believe in good cops. We’re not trying to defund the police and take all their money away. We’re trying to get them to protect us., just like they protect everybody else.. you don’t need to be black to be outraged. You need to be American and outraged…All were asking is you live up to the Constitution. That’s all we’re asking. For everybody. For everyone”
I am grateful for the Milwaukee Bucks, Van Jones, Bob Bradley, Doc Rivers and others who made a difference last week. They added and multiplied. I’m going to keep looking for more like them. And try to be one myself.
WATCH Doc Rivers Heartfelt Words:
Coach Manning 