To help us get there, A4I has outlined a position statement on some of the issues that matter the most to us, including police violence, the economy, gun violence, LGBTQ equal rights, education, climate change, immigration, and mass incarceration. Here is the Athlete Manifesto and Vision Statement that I helped draft:
Athlete Manifesto
As an athlete and leader with the opportunity to influence my local community, I recognize my responsibility to use my voice and resources to make a difference. I understand the critical role athletes can play as catalysts for social change. I am committed to supporting initiatives that bring people together and educate in ways that can actively transform our local neighborhoods and communities. As an Athlete for Impact and champion for change, I agree to the following #A4I principles.
As an Athlete for Impact, I will:
ADVOCATE for progressive change in my community and country through the use of my influence and platform
COLLABORATE with organizations to create structural change by offering my assistance to local and national organizing efforts
UNDERSTAND that the work I do doesn’t stop with me and that justice issues are intersectional; and
PLEDGE to encourage my friends, family, fans, and fellow athletes to get involved in transforming America.
The Values
We, the undersigned people from the world of sports, are claiming our place at the front lines of the fight for a better world. There is too much oppression, too much pain, and too much hate throughout this country, and we can no longer afford to be silent.
Athletes for Impact believes that athletes should be celebrated for their work as activists and that all athletes can add value to social justice movements, no matter how many endorsements they have or how big their playing contract. Athletes for Impact believes:
•In the right to speak in support of our core values and beliefs. Athletes are often told to be quiet and play the game and that activism has no place on the field of play. We refuse to relinquish our right to speech just because we play sports and will defend athletes who are being attacked because of their beliefs.
•In inclusiveness, equity, and the inherent dignity of every single person, regardless of race, gender identity, class, abilities, sexual orientation, religion, or immigration status.
•In the power of grassroots organizing as a way to empower local residents to come together, find solutions, and advance a more equitable future for all communities.
•In voting and civic activism as a concrete way to address systemic and structural barriers to the overall health and well-being of our communities.
•In economic justice and investment in young people and their families to enable them to be engines of social change and transformation.
•In collaboration between athletes, grassroots organizers, advocacy organizations, governing bodies, and entities working on social and economic justice.
•In internationalism. This is not only an organization for athletes in the United States, and we affirm our commitment to stand up for our fellow athletes internationally as well as for human rights around the world.
I’d never thought that organizing with other athletes would be so important to me, but over the last several years I’ve seen that many people in sports want to be a part of this conversation, but they’re scared. The fear is rooted, when all is said and done, in a fear of retaliation, lost income, isolation, and even being killed. The fact that you can be persecuted for what you say is a scary thing. As LeBron said about Trump, “He made it fashionable to hate.” Yes, there is a lot of hate out there. But there is such a contrast between speaking out as an individual and as a member of an organization. There is a critical connection between an organization and your ability to speak out safely. Yes, people will tell us to stick to sports. But, as Martellus drew in his cartoon, no one says, “Stick to sports” when you are using your spare time to sell McDonald’s. Only when you try to effect change.
What I’m outlining could possibly be world-changing: bringing together athletes from around the globe to build connections and movements through sports. I can already hear people saying it’s impossible, but, as Nelson Mandela said, “Everything is impossible until you try.” Mandela also said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” A lot of people cite that quote, but very few people have tried to put it into action, to test if the great man was right. We already know it doesn’t pay to bet against Mandela. Now I am going to help unite athletes in this cause and prove him right once again.
YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE TO GROW
Tennis is just a game, family is forever.
—Serena Williams
My birth mother, Caronda Bennett, is forty-eight years old. She made that decision to take my two younger siblings and leave Martellus and me with my father. Caronda
