At USF Juneteenth online event, Curry raises awareness
To characterize the advocacy efforts of Stephen Curry and wife Ayesha, Clarence B. Jones borrowed a term from Martin Luther King Jr.
“Stephen Curry, you and Ayesha are wintertime soldiers,” said Jones, who helped write the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech that King delivered at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. “You could just go and play basketball, make money. … However, you can’t do that because you have something so beautiful in you from your experiences, from your parents. You have a sense of decency.”
Jones speaks from experience, as he was given the same title by King in 1962.
Jones’ observation came Friday during a Zoom call that was a fundraiser for the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice called “The Dream Marches On,” held on the day known as Juneteenth, when slavery ended in Texas. The conversation between Jones and Curry was moderated by exUSF women’s basketball head coach Jennifer Azzi.
When Jones — one of King’s attorneys and close friends — asked King what “wintertime soldier” meant, the civil rights leader explained that anyone can stand outside with another person on a warm August day. It requires a certain
conviction and perseverance, however, to stand on a frigid winter night.
Curry, a global phenomenon with two NBA MVP awards and a net worth of roughly $130 million, could easily be relaxing with family as he enjoys his wealth.
Instead, he has spent much of the coronavirus pandemic talking with public health officials, attending protests against police brutality and speaking out about the Memorial Day death of George Floyd while he was in police custody. Friday’s conversation offered the latest example of Curry using his platform to champion causes that extend beyond sports.
During the hourlong discussion, Curry and Jones detailed their reactions to the protests that have swept the nation in the wake of Floyd’s death, voiced the need for love and compassion at such a tense time, and outlined how people can bring about change in their communities.
The two men’s experiences underscored the fact that, 52 years after King was assassinated at a Memphis motel, many of the issues that King had made his life’s mission to help eradicate — systemic racism, police brutality, economic injustice — persist throughout the country. But as Jones watched protests in recent days, he was encouraged to see so many white people marching alongside their African American peers.
This is significant progress from the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s, when only a small percentage of participants were white. It gives Jones, 89, hope that the country’s younger generations will be part of the solution.
“There’s clearly something new afoot here,” Jones said. “By longevity, of course, I have a longer perspective. It is the most profound change I’ve ever seen in any social movement in my lifetime. I have seen the large number of what would classically be called the majority population, white people . ...
“This is not some joke to them. This is serious, and you can see it by the way they conduct themselves.”
As a kid in Charlotte, N.C., Curry experienced little blatant racism because of what he called “a certain benefit” that comes with being the son of one of the hometown NBA team’s key players. But his parents, Dell and Sonya, often told him stories about the prejudice they encountered growing up in pockets of Virginia with a strong Ku Klux Klan presence.
Many of Curry’s extended relatives had negative experiences with police. To this day, he receives texts from cousins, aunts and uncles about being racially profiled. When Curry speaks out against social and racial issues, he thinks
about those relatives who weren’t afforded the benefits he enjoyed.
Now, as he raises three young kids, Curry is passing along the messages that his parents once instilled in him.
A couple of weeks ago, he and Ayesha took their 7yearold daughter, Riley, to a protest against police brutality in East Palo Alto. As they started to march, Riley peppered Curry with questions: Why are we here? What does this mean? What are we trying to accomplish?
“Trying to break that down to a 7yearold, you’re trying to be truthful and honest about what the situation is, but hopefully try to make sure that she can be part of what the solution is as she continues to get older,” Curry recalled. “There was so much representation of all different backgrounds out there, and we need to continue that going forward.”
The Currys said they would match donations made to the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice up to $50,000 through June 30 through their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.