Surprising Solidarities: Jordan, Romney, NASCAR
Michael Jordan, Mitt Romney, and NASCAR have something in common: they have all said, in their own ways, “we have had enough” in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
I felt there was change in the air when basketball great Michael Jordan, for years publicly mute on political issues, declared “we have had enough” in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
As recently as May 5th, Jordan defended his apolitical public persona by saying “I never thought of myself as an activist. I thought of myself as a basketball player.”
But following the murder of George Floyd on May 25th, Jordan said on May 31st: “I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of color in our country. We have had enough.”
Those of us who have been puzzled by Jordan’s longstanding refusal to publicly address racism exclaimed, “Finally!” . . . or words to that effect.
Continue reading “Turning Points: MJ, Mitt, NASCAR. Then What?”