In a place like America where denial is a part of this country's DNA the first step is the hardest.
Some recent comments from James have caused quite a stir across the country, and in New England, as he shared his thoughts on what the future holds, and how he feels about fans in Boston on the latest episode of The Shop.
There is a person on Griner.
It was difficult for me to imagine what she was going through. She is such a good person. The person is a great one. I've been in her presence a number of times. If you are from a certain area, you always feel like they have your back. How could she feel that America was behind her? I would be wondering if I want to return to America. If I have been gone for more than 120 days. It has been zero effort.
Why do you hate Boston?
That is why. They will say whatever they want. My wife has been dealing with them her entire life. It doesn't bother me. If I hear someone next to me, I check them out quickly. I move onto the next thing. They will say what they want to say. I got a beer thrown on me as I left the game.
It led to some feeling that the comment may have come off as un-American, so let's start with that.
James wrote on social media that his comments on "The Shop" were not hurting the country. She has been in a cage for over 100 days and I was simply saying how she is feeling. A long story about bringing her home. It was the coach of the Phoenix Mercury who recently asked if it was LeBron, he would be home.
A statement about the value of women was made by the Mercury head coach. A statement about the value of a black person. The value of a gay person is stated in the statement. That's all of them. That hurts more because we know it.
A triple minority (Black, female, and gay) that White America has never gone the extra mile to protect, let alone appreciate or value, is what is at the center of the situation of Griner. When James ponders about what she might think as she sits in a Russian jail, some will deem it unpatriotic as if this country has ever given African-Americans a reason to be proud of this place.
Next up is Boston...
I went to Boston in the summer of 2014). I hadn't been there since I was a child. When you are an adult, you pick up on things that a child does. We went for a walk around the park on game day. It was years before fans would hang a sign that said "Racism is as American as baseball" or before the Red Sox would admit that a lot of racist things happen to Black players and people at their historic stadium.
Boston is similar to places like Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, despite being the place that gave us New Edition and Donna Summer. There is always a feeling in the air that you are not wanted there, and the reaction that occurs when someone holds a mirror up to that city is proof that our feelings have always been true.
The message and the messenger are the same. In the case of James, he knows what it is like to be treated like a second-class citizen in his own country, even when he has won a gold medal. If you disagree with his take on Boston, it is because you still refuse to take the first step and admit that Black lives have never mattered as much as white ones.
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