Bringing a message to big stage
Raptors hope to use their return to court to promote change
These are vitally important times for the Raptors in the greater context of society, in Canada and in their homes around the world. They have examples to set and issues to address that go far beyond sports. And those issues demand action both immediately and in the long term.
“Racial injustice is not just happening in America, it’s happening worldwide,” Raptors forward Norm Powell, born and raised in California, said this week. “And I think the focus has been on the United States but, for us, it’s been a privilege to be the only team in Canada and to have that platform and to speak out about the inequalities and injustices Stateside and in Toronto and Canada as a whole. We’re taking that very serious.”
The Raptors are in a unique situation. They are the most prominent national team in Canada, with fans from coast to coast that provide a perfect platform to effect change; they are primarily young Black men who grew up dealing with systemic and often overt racism and they are led by a team president in Masai Ujiri whose passion for addressing serious issues and wanting them changed is unbridled.
“It is now time to have those tough conversations and ask those tough questions,” Ujiri told the Star. “Like have you ever had to worry about the colour of your skin? It’s time to call it out. If you see racism, call it out.
“This is a unique opportunity for not only Black and brown people to speak and act, but also white people. Especially white leaders. When you find yourself in those boardrooms or those clubs or associations and there are no black people, look at yourselves and ask why. We will all hold ourselves accountable.”
If there is one thing Ujiri and the Raptors have proven, it is that they will back up their words with actions when they see needs that must be addressed and wrongs that have to be made right. Ujiri and MLSE ownership made a concerted effort to seek out women for roles of great importance in the organization beginning about five years ago; there was one when Ujiri took over, there are now 15.
Having recognized racial imbalance, and knowing the message sent by promoting Black, brown and Indigenous men and women to positions of responsibility, there is no reason to think Ujiri won’t act quickly.
“We have to be intentional and deliberate in giving more Black and brown people opportunity,” Ujiri said. “I have to hold myself accountable and do the same.”
There is a bigger picture, as well.
Aside from addressing the problem within the MLSE corporate structure — and serving as an example for other professional sports teams that are lacking in Black leadership — the Raptors feel a responsibility to the greater society across Canada.
The players have always felt a kinship with their adopted country, they know racial injustices are not limited to the United States, and they want to learn how deep the problems are in Canada and try to address them. Not just with words but finding out what role they can have in significant and real change. Starting the process right now is imperative; there is a momentum for real change that can’t be allowed to dissipate.
“It’s the U.S. that we talk about all the time, but I think those racial issues are kind of all over the world, and so it affects Canada and I think we can do everything that we can and we’re going to try,” forward Pascal Siakam said this week. “And at the end of the day we do our research and do our best, and I think we have on the Raptors a phenomenal team from the owners to management (where) everyone is really committed to the issues … and we want to do our best to effect change and do something kind of meaningful.
“We want to dig deeper and find ways to effect change and have professionals and people that know better than us in terms of actual change … it’s something bigger than us, and we’ve got to find as much help as we can to make sure that we make those effective changes.”
The process has begun for
Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who is already involved with an initiative to register expat Americans in Canada so they can vote in the coming November elections in the United States. It’s a tangible cross-border program for the Raptors to undertake, an important step.
“It’s a probably really old initiative that’s hard to get the message out, and we’re hoping to help, we’re hoping to help raise awareness, and use our platforms over everything,” Nurse said.
“We’ll just do some PSA type things, and that’ll involve a few of the players … just directing (voters) where to go, how to register … and then there’ll be a couple of other steps once we get closer.”
Ujiri also plans to use his close ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former U.S. president Barack Obama to change attitudes, fix problems and address issues. That’s the long game, to try to change ingrained prejudices, systemic police brutality and systemic racism, and racial profiling everywhere from interaction between police and citizens to border officials screening visitors or citizens entering Canada.
It’s an attempt to create a better world. It can’t be done immediately but it has to start now.
“Love has no colour and at some point we have to ask ourselves who we are as human beings because sometimes it comes down to humanity,” Ujiri said.
“If the police in Buffalo cannot help an old man on the (ground) bleeding (an assault captured last month on video), then who are you as a human being? What if that was your father?
“We need to look into a lot of our systems … it is time to call it out.”