Protests around the country and the world continue into this week, as many are protesting the systemic racism perceived within America’s police departments and how the system continues to fail black people like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. Many of the Lakers have publicly shared their support for the protests on social media, while some like Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James have spoken out multiple times in support.
LeBron has always been an activist for many in America, but especially black people. Kyle Kuzma has, for the most part, strayed away from discussing politics in his very young career. However, he has been very outspoken on the protests and the deaths of Floyd, Taylor, and Arbery amongst other black people who have died at the hands of cops. He continues to speak out, recently penning his own essay on The Players’ Tribune about systemic racism, his experiences with it, and how he plans to set up a personal voting campaign later in the year to turn people’s focuses to November elections.
— kuz (@kylekuzma) June 9, 2020
Below is an excerpt from the essay about the aforementioned voting campaign. Be sure to read the entire piece, as it’s very interesting to hear about everything from Kuzma’s point-of-view.
But also demand that change on election day.
We have to vote out people that blindly support spending more on police departments than on healthcare and education. And we also have to vote out the people who aren’t making the change that we want fast enough.
So I’m doing something about it.
I’m launching a voting campaign that’s going to help get people’s eyes on where primaries and elections are being held in every state this year. I’m dropping something very soon.
But in the meantime, let’s keep educating ourselves. Because that’s what made the biggest difference in my own learning process. That’s the biggest thing: Education.
Voting is one of the most important things you can do as an American citizen to get your voice heard, so it’s really nice to hear that Kuzma is putting action behind his words in trying to get more young people to vote on what’s important and what’s right. Again, be sure to read his entire piece, especially if these protests have affected you in any way.
