NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been known for more than just basketball since his playing days in the league came to an end in 1989. A thoughtful, intelligent, and outspoken individual, Abdul-Jabbar has been an author and cultural critic for decades, and was even appointed as a cultural ambassador by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2012. No event or conversation has been beyond Abdul-Jabbar's reach during this time. In 2013, the former Laker legend, then 65 years old, even weighed in on the issues of diversity in HBO's hit series, Girls.
Now, Abdul-Jabbar has offered his voice for a situation currently dividing the nation. He turns his eye toward Ferguson, MO, where police brutality and the death of Michael Brown have left the Ferguson community feeling disenfranchised, helpless, and abused. In an essay for TIME, Abdul-Jabbar discusses his thoughts on the matter, emphasizing what sees as the key issue in the entire struggle: class warfare.
While many have pinpointed the central issue as one of race, Abdul-Jabbar cautions us against viewing the situation through this lens alone. He writes, "This fist-shaking of everyone’s racial agenda distracts America from the larger issue that the targets of police overreaction are based less on skin color and more on an even worse Ebola-level affliction: being poor." Continuing on, Abdul-Jabbar discusses the problems with loan-sharking, America's shrinking middle class, and the ineffectiveness of our politicians in addressing poverty.
It's a measured, well-written article which steers the conversation in a different direction from what has largely defined the discussion up to this point. For instance, while discussing Ferguson, many have been quick to point out the area's arrest statistics, which point to a wide disparity between black and white arrests. These numbers would seem to run counter to Abdul-Jabbar's argument.
But, as we can see from the very first sentence, Abdul-Jabbar isn't trying to make this an either/or issue. He doesn't ignore that race plays a role in what is happening in Ferguson. Rather, he appears to be trying to highlight a problem that he feels has been largely pushed aside by the media. He certainly presents a compelling case.
Read through Abdul-Jabbar's piece over at TIME.
