Carmelo Anthony has been at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement and he has spearheaded a rally of athletes to actively seek out the change they wish to see in our justice system.
Earlier this month he posted an inspirational photo and caption on instagram in which he called out his fellow athletes and challenged them to step up and take advantage of their influence.
Shortly thereafter, Melo, along with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Paul echoed those statements in a moving speech which they gave to open up the ESPYs.
Carmelo has continued to follow through with his commitment and has now organized a "town hall" meeting in Los Angeles for this upcoming Monday when he and the rest of Team USA basketball visit LA for a practices and an exhibition game.
Speaking of the upcoming LA meeting, which will likely be closed to the public, Melo said;
“Still organizing, [but] I don’t want to call it a town hall,” Anthony said. “I like to call it more a conversation. We want to get some of the local politicians. We want to get youth, kids, adults, officers, teachers, community leaders and athletes just there having this conversation and this talk. Both sides hearing each other out.’’
“It’s something I wanted to do and plan — just a part of continuing what I started already. The problem is people don’t have answers, are searching for answers on what to do, how to do it and who to do it with. We’re not going to find the answers overnight. It’s following through with the message I put out there and continuing the conversation.”
“You got to be keep the conversation going,’’ he added. “Because if you don’t, it just becomes another tragedy that happens that everyone forgets about. This time we don’t want to deal with that.’’
Carmelo also berated the league's decision to fine some WNBA players on the New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever for wearing "Black Live Matters" tee shirts during warm ups
“A bunch of teams did it,” Anthony said. “Everyone has their own freedom of speech if they decide to use the platform. I don’t see no reason for anybody to get fined. We did it [3½ years ago after the Trayvon Martin shooting]. The NBA did it. The NBA was very supportive. I don’t see any difference in this matter. Right now the players have a very strong stance in what they believe in right now. I don’t think anyone should be fighting that at this moment.”
Whether the upcoming meeting in LA takes place behind closed doors or is open to the public, it's great to see someone of Carmelo's stature following through on his promise to create the change we are all desperately seeking.
[Via]