In the wake of Donald Sterling’s controversial remarks, the Los Angeles Clippers staged a silent protest, with team point guard Chris Paul describing their mentality as, "stay together, play ball."
While some people have supported the team's show of solidarity, others have criticized them for not taking a firm enough stand. Homeboy Sandman posted one such scathing response on Gawker titled “Black People Are Cowards.” In it he suggests that this incident called for a stronger response:
I call us cowards. It’s almost as if people have forgotten that struggle includes struggling. You might have to lose your job. You might have to lose your life. That’s what it takes for change to happen. There’s no easy way to do this. If you’re scared to stand up for yourself, for whatever reason, all I ask is that you stop pretending.
So we asked the Black Voices community what they thought:
Some sided with Homeboy Sandman and criticized The Clippers:
But many posted messages of overwhelming support for the LA team:
@blackvoices no that's not right when u have a hateful boss do u leave your job..knowing u have responsibilities towards family
— Roberta (@Roberta2540) April 28, 2014
This is not the first time professional athletes have taken a stand for what they believe in. Yesterday marked the 47th anniversary of when Muhammad Ali was stripped of his heavyweight title after refusing to be inducted into the U.S. army to serve in the Vietnam War.
With the Clippers facing game five against the Golden State Warriors tonight at home, they have another chance to make a statement. What do you think they should do?
Before You Go
