Alton Sterling and Philando Castile are two names that have ignited a new wave of activism concerning the extrajudicial executions felt disproportionately in black and brown communities across America. Both Sterling and Castile were two black civilians brutally slain at the hands of law enforcement. Throughout the U.S. riots and protests have spread like wildfire, prompting even the biggest of tabloid names to speak out against police brutality, including NBA star Carmelo Anthony. Using his platform to advocate for change, Anthony says he’ll “even lead the charge, By Any Means Necessary.” Defiantly ambitious, yes. But it’s no surprise.
Anthony’s late father, Carmelo Iriarte, was also an activist and a member of the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican nationalist group who stood side by side with the Black Panthers. The movement tackled social inequality, most notably in New York City and Chicago during the ’60s and ’70s. They also operated a free breakfast program for children (still running today), distributed hospital equipment to the needy, and cleared garbage from neighborhoods that needed it most.
Not only is Anthony currently working on a documentary about the radical party, but the New York Knick is also throwing down gauntlets of his own, issuing a call to action concerning our country’s “broken” system. In it, he argued that athletes should not care about losing their endorsements over something as necessary as activism: “There’s NO more sitting back and being afraid of tackling and addressing political issues anymore. Those days are long gone. We have to step up and take charge.”
This is not the first time the two-time gold medal Olympian has used his high status for the greater good. As Remezcla reminds us, he’s participated in ads against gun violence, and has gifted basketball courts to the cities he was born and raised in, including Brooklyn and Baltimore. Digging into his Puerto Rican roots and mirroring his late father’s activism, Anthony’s also built and re-built basketball courts for the youth of La Perla, San Juan, Luquillo, Bayamón, and Trujillo Alto as well.
Ahead of next month’s Summer Olympics, Melo has hinted at making yet a greater political statement. “In three weeks I’ll travel to Rio with the United States’ Olympic team to perform on a global stage,” Anthony wrote in an essay published by The Guardian, prior to Wednesday night’s ESPYs. “I haven’t spoken with my teammates yet about the opportunity before us and how we can take advantage of it, because at the end of the day I want it to be genuine […] Whatever way we want to do it, this is a chance to do something meaningful before an audience of billions. I don’t know what that something is yet, but we still have time to figure it out.”