As a kid, I was always interested in different styles of tennis shoes that were created and particularly far fetched by those designed by the famous NBA star, Michael Jordan. I remember gaining an obsession with his shoes that led to forming a certain collectors mentality. I never knew much about him as a person and what he actually stood for in regards to his creation of such a flourishing brand, but I did know about his basketball career and the fact that almost every black kid in my classroom, my neighborhood, and across the country owned at least one pair of "Jordan's." As racial tensions have continued to circulate throughout America, a need for black leaders who are a part of the black community with power to speak up has also risen, which includes Michael Jordan.
Fans have taken their social media platforms to voice their concern for Michael Jordan's lack of response in regards to today's world issues. Most even voiced how they would boycott his shoes entirely until he spoke up. On, July 25, 2016, Jordan finally made a statement after many years of silence about anything political or related to civil rights. Jordan wrote, "I can no longer stay silent. We need to find solutions that ensure people of color receive fair and equal treatment and that police officers — who put their lives on the line every day to protect us all — are respected and supported." Cute, right?
It's kind of hard to decipher if this statement is genuine or not, let alone even from the mouth of Jordan himself or just something his publicist put together. Jordan allegedly once stated, "“I make shoes for white suburban kids, not the poor black kids. That would be like opening a restaurant for people without stomachs.” This statement was made approximately 2 years ago. However, the damage is still there and his intentions in this recent statement have every right to be questioned.
Jordan could have easily made a statement to continue to keep his fan base thriving for his brand or maybe, just maybe, his statement signifies a change of heart, but what did he actually do? Sure, that $1 million investment in the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Institute for Community-Police Relations was a nice gesture, but what will it actually do to better the situation at hand? This is the same person who invests in prisons and refuses to speak about the negative impacts purchasing his shoes has had on the black community. People, not only, stand in line for "Jordan's", but they also kill and steal to simply be in the latest material when they are in these poverty stricken communities of the "ghetto." He may not make his shoes for "the poor black kids", but "the poor black kids" are the ones who support his brand the most no matter how many times he recreates a shoe with a different color scheme. "The poor black kids" are the ones who live after him and strive to one day have a name just as powerful, and "the poor kids" often see themselves through him and his accomplishments.
Jordan should get out and put in. It takes more than money and a put together statement to make anyone believe that you are truly concerned with the problems of the "poor black kids" that purchase his shoes. Are you more concerned with the money you may be losing from "the poor black kids" or the actual lives of those who aspire to be just like you one day?
