Kanter wants to be on the `right side of history'
Enes Kanter, that noted prince among men, joined protesters in Boston over the weekend.
The former Thunder big man is now with the Celtics, and he showed up on the streets of Beantown wearing his emerald green jersey and showing his support to those fighting for racial justice in light of George Floyd's death in police custody a week ago in Minneapolis.
Rallies and protests, of course, have boiled up in every major American city in recent days. People want better treatment for black people. Better treatment in police custody, yes, but also better treatment overall. There are divides and differences — economic, educational and more — that go back decades, and longstanding inequalities are part of the frustration, too.
Kanter has experienced oppression, too.
A native of Turkey, he has been an outspoken critic of the current leaders, and the Turkish government has sought a warrant for his extradition. Who knows what could happen if that ever goes through.
Jail? Trial? Worse?
Kanter has continued speaking out against the Turkish government even as he and his family have been threatened, so he understands the threat of violence, the fear of intimidation.
During the rally in Boston, Kanter was handed a microphone. He didn't speak long, but he thanked the protesters and said there needed to be change.
“Change cannot wait,” he said.
Then he got a little choked up. Such a public protest back in Turkey would've likely brought serious ramifications, and as we sadly know, there have been several deadly encounters during the protests in the U.S.
“But,” Kanter said, “we are on the right side of history.”
We often talk in sports about picking a winner. Of course, we want our teams to be winners, but when our team isn't playing, we always want to get behind the side that will win. It makes us feel good.
Did you pick the right team on your bracket or the wrong one?
Did you bet on the winner or not?
It isn't always easy to pick the right side, but when it happens, man, it feels good.
But here's the thing about these protests— it is easy to pick the right side. There are people, fellow human beings— heck, if you want to get churchy, fellow children of God or Allah or the Almighty— who are hurting. They feel the weight of their race every day. Whether going to the store or driving to work or going for a walk, they have to think through worst-case scenarios.
And even if they plan and prepare and take care, it doesn't always protect them from harm.
Breonna Taylor was killed by police in Louisville while sleeping in her own bed on March 13. That is reprehensible. So is a man ending up dead after being arrested on a suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. George Floyd should've got to jail, not been dead on the street.
These injustices must stop.
(And if you want to argue that more whites are killed in confrontations with police, I recognize that since 2015, 2,414 whites and 1,262 blacks have been killed by police, according to research by the Washington Post. But blacks have been killed at a much higher rate than whites during that time; 30 blacks per million in American have been killed while 12 whites per million have been.)
As I watched Enes Kanter's short speech on video, I realized the answer is easier than picking the right team in sports. We don't always know who's going to win. We can't always guess who is better.
But in this instance, the superior side is obvious. Justice and equality and love is always best. Treating our fellow human beings the way we'd like to be treated is always right.
Picking the best option isn't hard here.
Neither is getting on the right side of history.