One of the most powerful moments in this journey was when I received a call from Angela Davis—not only is she a hero of mine, but I had just read her book. This was the first time we had ever spoken, and since then we’ve become friends, which is trippy as hell. Angela Davis took the time to share with me her personal experiences of traveling through Palestine and seeing how the Palestinians were treated, their living conditions, the history of how their land was taken away from them by illegal settlements, and how they are all collectively punished for the violent actions of a few. I also spoke to Palestinian-American scholar and professor Noura Erakat and ended up meeting with her students at Georgetown, including Israeli students. In talking to Angela Davis and Noura Erakat, I realized I had empathy and identification with the Palestinian people that I didn’t know existed inside of me. We’re dealing with police violence here, and what they are dealing with there sounds too familiar to ignore. After educating myself on the subject, I felt that the only moral thing for me to do was to stand on the right side of history, to stand on the shoulders of my ancestors and be a bridge between oppressed people. Palestine was no different. I might not have thought too much about their situation before this, but now it just wasn’t acceptable, and I wasn’t going to be used in that way.
The next decision was whether to quietly refuse to go and make up an excuse, or to share my thoughts with the world. I chose the latter and wrote the following open letter:
Dear World,
I was scheduled to make a visit to Israel with fellow NFL players. I was excited to see this remarkable and historic part of the world with my own eyes. I was not aware, until reading this article about the trip in the Times of Israel, that my itinerary was being constructed by the Israeli government for the purposes of making me, in the words of a government official, an “influencer and opinion-former,” who would then be “an ambassador of good will.” I will not be used in such a manner. When I do go to Israel—and I do plan to go—it will be to see not only Israel but also the West Bank and Gaza so I can see how the Palestinians, who have called this land home for thousands of years, live their lives.
One of my heroes has always been Muhammad Ali. I know that Ali always stood strongly with the Palestinian people, visiting refugee camps, going to rallies, and always willing to be a “voice for the voiceless.” I want to be a “voice for the voiceless,” and I cannot do that by going on this kind of trip to Israel.
I know that this will anger some people and inspire others. But please know that I did this not for you, but to be in accord with my own values and my own conscience. Like 1968 Olympian John Carlos always says, “There is no partial commitment to justice. You are either in or you’re out.” Well, I’m in.
Sincerely,
Michael Bennett
When I posted the letter to my Instagram account, I had no idea that it would become front-page news in Israel and a topic of debate throughout Europe. It was crazy. They don’t even like American football in Europe, but they were talking about me. Sometimes you just throw a stone out there and hope for a ripple, and sometimes the stone makes a hell of a wave.
It was a big deal. The response was political whiplash, a storm of attention about a situation where I was just learning the basics. As pro athletes, we’re stuck in a world where our days start at 6:00 am, we don’t get done until 6:00 pm, and when we get home, we play with the kids, eat dinner, get our rest, and then do it all over again. The world around us is like a rumor, a barely noticeable buzz that needs to roar if we are going to pay it any attention. What was so cool about this experience was that the buzz did become a roar, and minds were opened to both critical thinking and the effect athletes can have on the world. By the time you’re reading this book, I will be making plans to travel to Israel and Palestine on a trip not designed by the government, so I can explore everything about that part of the world—the good, the bad, and the ugly—for myself.
In addition to learning about the politics and history, the best part of this experience is that now the last thing many people want to talk about with me is football. I love that, because if people only know you for what you do on the field, obviously they’re only going to talk to you about sports. When people know more about what you believe in, what your morals are, you’ll have better conversations. People want to hear more, and I am willing to say more. It’s beautiful. People asking me about football all the time gets old. It’s like being a plumber and all people want to talk to you about is toilets. If I were a plumber, I might still have my passion for toilets, but I’d also need a break when the plunger goes back in the closet.
This desire to link people up and push forward for united change is also why I supported senator Bernie Sanders for president in 2016. I wore a
