As more and more athletes become involved with speaking out about social issues, a select few are taking action, as well. The latest are Indianapolis basketball players Paul George of the Pacers and Tamika Catchings of the WNBA’s Fever.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA TODAY Sports, the two Indy stars are going to organize a meeting to address these issues.
Following up on last tweet: Tamika Catchings & Paul George plan to have town-hall style meetings w/kids, community leaders, police in Indy.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) September 15, 2016
This is all we know so far about George and Catchings’ plan. However, the early signs are great. There has been a lot of miscommunication and lack of trust between civilians and police officers, especially in regards to race. Getting leaders of certain communities to talk with police is a great way to mend some of those wounds. Having kids present so that they can learn about the issues and ways to solve them is even better.
This seems to be a similar action taken by some other players. Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant have notably organized similar events around the country. Melo also joined LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Paul to speak out about social injustice at the ESPY’s. The most notable case, however, has been Colin Kaepernick’s protest through kneeling for the national anthem which has prompted support from many NBA players.
Paul George and Tamika Catchings are taking things up a level by organizing this event. Hopefully, some positive changes are made as a result.
