Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Homecoming, horror, healing
Dwyane Wade reflects on the year anniversary of the Parkland shooting and his return to Miami
DENVER — There are anniversaries that are accompanied with joy, with Dwyane Wade noting on social media last week that it had been one year since the embrace of his Feb. 8, 2018 reunion with the Miami Heat.
And then there are anniversaries that are accompanied by sorrow, reflection, resolve.
Which is where Wade as well as those in South Florida and beyond stand this week, with Thursday the one-year anniversary of the horror in Parkland at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead and others injured.
It was in the wake of Wade’s return to the Heat that he felt a calling to be both an immediate and ongoing part of the school’s and city’s healing process, first visiting the school, unannounced, within days of the shooting to help console and comfort, and then working with survivors and families of those impacted for social reform.
That had Wade reflecting on this week and this upcoming moment as the Heat took flight for this five-game road trip.
“Even though we’re almost still a year to the date, families are still dealing with hurt, with anger, with unanswered questions. It won’t go away,” Wade said. “I think a community came together and the young individuals at that school have made everyone proud of how they’ve used their voice, how their actions have matched their voice, and tried to create change.
“So, hopefully, that doesn’t happen to another family, another community, another school. So I’m proud of them. I’m proud of them representing the state we all call home, and will continue to support them in what they want to do.”
In addition to meeting with students to discuss ways to amplify their message and calls for action and change, Wade sponsored the “Parkland 17” art exhibit at the Wynwood Art Walk, which was created to honor the 17 lives lost. That event included a “Ring Your Rep” phone booth to call local representatives and voice concerns about gun control and violence. The following weekend, Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, donated $200,000 to the March for Our Lives.
Three weeks after the shooting, the family of slain Joaquin Oliver was invited by Wade to a Heat game at AmericanAirlines Arena, where Wade presented them with custom shoes and a game-worn jersey, dedicating the remainder of the season to the family’s late son. Wade would go on to meet with two other Parkland families and several Parkland Basketball Recreation League teams that also lost students in the shooting.
Coach Erik Spoelstra said Wade began to recognize the impact of his voice amid the Big Three championship seasons alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
“Dwyane has already shown great courage and empathy, and then he started to really use this platform to be able to try to make a change,” Spoelstra said. “And it’s been inspiring to so many of us in our organization and around the league, because he’s done it with the right type of grace and class when people respond to it.”
With his own family directly impacted by gun violence, Wade, as he reflected on the one-year anniversary of the shootings, said support from the community is paramount.
“It means a lot to my family,” he said. “In my family, it’s been a couple of years since my cousin got killed, to gun violence. My family is still dealing with it. And to be able to go and try to make an impact on those young individuals’ lives, try to make an impact to their families, I know my family appreciates the effort because it meant a lot to them when others did the same to us. When others reach out to you to help you heal, when you’re going through tough times, it means a lot.”
The timing of his return and then the time spent in Parkland reminded Wade, 37, of a calling greater than the game, as he plays out his 16th and final NBA season.
“For me, I was just thankful when I was in the city, to be able to go to the school, to be able to sit down with those young individuals and just to be able to lend a spotlight on them,” he said. “To be able to lend my voice, to be able to lend my foundation, to be a part of what they’re doing. I was thankful that I was in a position to be able to do it.”