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Rebellion is growing, from Minneapolis, where demands to defund the police radiate globally from the site of George Floyd’s murder, to cities nationwide where monuments to Confederate generals, colonizers and others are being torn down. Some decry this onrushing change: corrupt police unions dismiss the violence their members wreak with impunity on the civilians they swore to protect, and die-hard defenders of the long dead Confederacy continue to wave its battle flag, forgetting that the last flag flown by the generals they worship, back in 1865, was the white flag of surrender. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks any meaningful police reform legislation. While politicians drop the ball, current and retired professional athletes are stepping up, adding momentum to this historical moment.
The power of the Black Lives Matter movement recently surfaced at no more unlikely a venue than a NASCAR racetrack. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr., the only African American driver in NASCAR’s top races, appeared at a race on June 7th wearing a t-shirt reading “I Can’t Breathe, Black Lives Matter.”
Later, Wallace said on CNN, “No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race. It starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here.” The following day, he drove a car emblazoned with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and ... Read More →
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