Miami Heat makes statement on social justice, this one with just a few words
The Miami Heat again made it known it is on the side of peaceful protesters.
A day after issuing a statement that urged “everyone to responsibly let their voices be heard,” the Heat participated in the #BlackoutTuesday movement. The team’s official Twitter and Instagram accounts shared a photo of a black square with the message of “Black Lives Matter” and the hashtags “BlackoutTuesday” and “HEATNationUnited.”
Heat players such as Bam Adebayo, Jae Crowder, Goran Dragic, Udonis Haslem and Tyler Herro among others also used their social media accounts to take part in the movement.
The “BlackoutTuesday” campaign is a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests that are sweeping the country.
The idea began in the music industry, and has been led by music executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang. The website TheShowMustBePaused.com explains their thinking:
“In response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other Black citizens at the hands of police, #TheShowMustBePaused is an initiative created by two Black women in music in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists from the boardroom to the boulevard. We will not continue to conduct business as usual without regard for Black lives.
“Tuesday, June 2nd is meant to intentionally disrupt the work week. ... It is a day to take a beat for an honest, reflective and productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the Black community.”
The Heat issued a statement Monday following a weekend of protests around South Florida and amid days of unrest around the United States in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed and handcuffed black man who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer drove a knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes while he was face down on the ground.
“One of the characteristics that makes the city of Miami so unique is its immense cultural diversity,” the Heat said in a statement issued Monday. “This diversity is a celebrated part of South Florida, both inside and out of AmericanAirlines Arena. It is one of the reasons we deeply mourn the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others, whom we have lost to acts of extreme and excessive violence against African-Americans; acts that have unfortunately become all too commonplace.
“The Miami Heat sends their deepest condolences to the Floyd, Taylor and Arbery families. Our hearts are broken. But our resolve is not. We urge everyone to responsibly let their voices be heard and encourage our community to come together.”
Haslem has used his voice in recent days to speak out on social justice issues, but also to encourage protesters to remain peaceful. The Miami native and longtime Heat forward spoke Sunday afternoon at a press conference held by the City of Miami Police Department to try to help unite the community.
“There definitely has to be justice for George,” Haslem said as part of a four-minute speech Sunday. “There definitely has to be protests for what happened to George. But I would be lying if I said that it has been gone about the right way. I would be lying if I said that I’m proud of what really has been going on.
“I want to be a part of the solution. We have to have a plan moving forward, it has to be together. ... I say to everybody, those people were terrible people before they put that badge on. They were terrible people before they put that badge on. For you to stand there and watch that, that ain’t got nothing to do with your badge, that has nothing to do with your color, that has nothing to do with your race. That’s something inside you that’s messed up. That’s your soul that ain’t right. So if you can stand there and watch that, I can’t say we can blame the whole armed forces and everybody who wears a badge. Ain’t no way.”
During a Tuesday morning appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Haslem said: “I definitely think the protest is going to bring about change. I think the rioting has shown we’re fed up and we’re frustrated and we’re tired and we need to be heard and justice needs to be served.”
When asked on “Today” about his decision to speak out as a professional athlete, Haslem said: “I think for a lot of people, it’s a difficult situation just because people like myself have relationships with people in law enforcement and they’re really scared to speak out because they feel like they have to pick a side. For me, I don’t feel like I have to pick a side. I feel like the side is the right side. I was always raised to do the right thing by my family and my parents. So for me, there is no side. The side is the right side. Both sides have a reason to be frustrated. Both sides have a reason to want better moving forward.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 11:52 AM.
