For Immediate Release: August 26, 2020

Color Of Change Launches Petition Demanding NBA Owners Support Player Protests 

NATIONWIDE – In response to the monumental decision by NBA players to strike during the playoffs, after months of quarantine, to protest the unjust shooting of Jacob Blake and police violence across the country, Color Of Change’s President Rashad Robinson released the following statement:

“We applaud the NBA players and coaches who have used their global platform to shed light on the ongoing state-sanctioned violence against Black Americans and to deliver a strong message that business will not continue as usual. To them, we say, we are with you and we are in this together. Four years ago, on this very day, Colin Kaepernick began a movement that would ultimately and unfairly cost him his career for speaking out on this very issue.

But the burden cannot and will not fall on workers, in this case athletic players, to overhaul a deep-rooted system of race-based violence and oppression. Owners, franchises and leagues hold the power to not only impact the revenue margins of professional sports, but to influence state and federal elected officials to prosecute those who murdered Breonna Taylor with impunity, violently attacked Jacob Blake, and perpetuate race-based violence every day.  

That’s why this evening, just like we did in 2016 for Kaepernick, Color Of Change is launching a petition calling on the NBA’s league office and the team owners to demonstrate their full-fledged support of the player’s strike.

It is not enough to claim Black Lives Matter. Team owners have a responsibility to use the wealth they earn off a majority-Black workforce, to move beyond the statement and join their players in demanding justice and sweeping policy changes in the wake of Jacob Blake’s attempted murder.”

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About Color Of Change:

Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force, 7million people have taken action with Color Of Change this year. We move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.