Utah Jazz guard Kyle Korver says all white people are responsible for racism in his new article titled “Privileged.”
Korver, 38, is reflecting on his privilege as a white man in a new article he wrote called “Privilege,” which was published in The Players’ Tribune. The thought piece analyzes racism as it is projected onto the Black community, and how white people all in some way reap the benefits of racism due to the color of their skin. In addition, Korver calls out the white community, suggesting it’s time to acknowledge the privilege of being white and unaffected by racism. Korver says white guilt and white responsibility are more than often passed over when it comes to confronting racism. Korver says there is “a real difference” between the two, he said.
“As white people, are we guilty for the sins of our forefathers? No, I don’t think so,” he wrote. “But are we responsible for them? Yes, I believe we are.” Korver went to say it’s time white people hold one another accountable. “I know that, as a white man, I have to hold my fellow white men accountable,” he said. “We all have to hold each other accountable. And we all have to be accountable.” He added that white people can no longer be silent in the war to end racism. “We have to be actively supporting the causes of those who’ve been marginalized—precisely because they’ve been marginalized,” he explained.
While white people are the root of racial issues and “systematic problem,” they can also be a part of the solution, Korver implies. Korver highlighted the first step is being aware of the problem when it happens in real life. Korver mentioned the recent incident where a Jazz fan repeatedly harassed Oklahoma Thunder star #RussellWestbrook during a game in Salt Lake City. The fan and his wife told Westbrook shouted: “Get down on your knees like you used to.” Kover detailed the tiredness the players showed following the incident. “Guys were just sick and tired of it all,” he wrote.
“This wasn’t the first time they’d taken part in conversations about race in their NBA careers, and it wasn’t the first time they’d had to address the hateful actions of others. “This wasn’t only about Russ and some heckler. It was about more than that. It was about what it means just to exist right now—as a person of color in a mostly white space. ”
