Memphis Basketball Legend Penny Hardaway Speaks Out On Racial Injustice
From Treadwell High School, to playing for then Memphis State Tigers, to the NBA, and now back coaching at his alma mater, Memphis basketball legend Penny Hardaway has always represented the city and it's passion through compassion. He would continue to do so as he released a statement yesterday about the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
"I have not spoken publicly about the most recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, killed at the hands of police officers," said Hardaway. "Along with millions of Americans, I too am outraged and filled with a range of emotions. Determined to bring about lasting change, I chose not to act on my raw emotions, pausing to internally process this critically important moment in time. Enough is enough!"
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"Dr. King said: “A riot is the language of the unheard” and I along with so many others are feeling optimistic that our voices about inequality, injustice and systemic racism are finally being heard," Hardaway added. "I coach and mentor young people who are hurting, angry and expressing themselves in the only way they know how. They want justice, fairness, and to be treated as human beings. Some are looking to me for answers and I do not take that lightly. This is why I have been quick to listen and slow to speak."
"In the coming days and weeks, I will be seeking to meet with city officials, corporate CEOs and community leaders to discuss real solutions and to lend my voice to help plan courses of action that will bring about lasting and transformative change for not only our city and state, but the entire world," Hardaway continued. "Change isn’t easy and it is often painful, but worth it for the greater good of those who want it and, more importantly, those of us who need it."
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to
believe in it. One must work at it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
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