For most of his time as a public figure, Michael Jordan has taken
heat for not being outspoken enough on politics and social justice
issues.
The oft-disputed quote
"Republicans buy sneakers, too" has long been attributed to him, after
he failed to throw his weight behind the 1990 U.S. Senate candidate
Harvey Gantt, an African-American lawmaker challenging the infamously
racially insensitive Sen. Jesse Helms.
But on Monday, Jordan wrote a personal essay
for the African-American themed sports blog The Undefeated — breaking
with his decades-long tradition of largely being agnostic when it comes
controversy.
In a post entitled "I Can No Longer Stay Silent," Jordan referenced the 1993 gun-violence related death
of his own father to underline how the shootings of unarmed black men
is a deeply personal issue for him. "I grieve with the families who have
lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well," he wrote.
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