Police Brutality and White Supremacy: The Fight Against American Traditions

by Etan Thomas

Overview

An NBA veteran offers engaging interviews and reflections that explore police brutality, white supremacy, and the struggle for racial justice in America.

"Thomas's interviews demand careful reading by all who want to expose racism, hold police accountable, and create an American society that practices social justice." —Library Journal, a Best Book of the Year in Political Science/Civil Rights

"My family and I are extremely grateful for the support and love from my brother in the movement, Etan Thomas." —Emerald Garner, daughter of Eric Garner

Etan Thomas, an eleven-year NBA veteran and lifelong advocate for social justice, weaves together his personal experiences with police violence and white supremacy with multiple interviews of family members of victims of police brutality like exonerated Central Park Five survivor Raymond Santana and Rodney King’s daughter Lora Dene King; as well as activist athletes and other public figures such as Steph Curry, Chuck D, Isiah Thomas, Sue Bird, Jake Tapper, Jemele Hill, Stan Van Gundy, Kyle Korver, Mark Cuban, Rick Strom, and many more.

Thomas speaks with retired police officers about their efforts to change policing, and white allies about their experiences with privilege and their ability to influence other white people. Thomas also examines the history of racism, white supremacy, and the prevalence of both in the current moment. He looks at the origins of white supremacy in the US, dating back to the country’s inception, and explores how it was interwoven into Christianity—interviewing leading voices both in and outside of the church. Finally, with prominent voices in the media and education, Thomas discusses the continued cultivation of these injustices in American society.

Police Brutality and White Supremacy demands accountability and justice for those responsible for and impacted by police violence and terror. It offers practical solutions to work against the promotion of white supremacy in law enforcement, Christianity, early education, and across the public sphere.

Featuring original interviews with: Steph Curry, Chuck D, Yamiche Alcindor, Isiah Thomas, Jemele Hill, Craig Hodges, Stan Van Gundy, Mark Cuban, Jake Tapper, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Sue Bird, Kyle Korver, Rick Strom, Cenk Uygur, Tim Wise, Chris Broussard, Breanna Stewart, Rex Chapman, Stephen Jackson, Kori Mccoy, Lora Dene King, Chikesia Clemons, Raymond Santana, Alissa Findley, Amber and Ashley Carr, Michelle and Ashley Monterrosa, Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., Abiodun Oyewole, Marc Lamont Hill, Officer Carlton Berkley, Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr., Officer Joe Ested, Captain Sonia Pruitt, and Bishop Talbert Swan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781636140568
Publisher:	Akashic Books, Ltd.
Publication date:	01/11/2022
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

ETAN THOMAS, a former eleven-year NBA player, was born in Harlem and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has published multiple books including: We Matter: Athletes and Activism (voted a top ten best activism book of all time by BookAuthority), More than an Athlete, Fatherhood: Rising to the Ultimate Challenge, and Voices of the Future. Thomas received the 2010 National Basketball Players Association Community Contribution Award as well as the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation Legacy Award—both honoring his advocacy for social justice. He is a senior writer for BasketballNews.com and a regular contributor to the Guardian and The Undefeated. He can frequently be seen on MSNBC as a special correspondent and cohosts a weekly show with Dave Zirin called, The Collision: Where Sports and Politics Collide. Police Brutality and White Supremacy: The Fight Against American Traditions is his latest book.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: RODNEY KING
Lora Dene King
Isiah Thomas
Craig Hodges

CHAPTER 2: THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE
Raymond Santana
Abiodun Oyewole
Officer Carlton Berkley

CHAPTER 3: GEORGE FLOYD
Stephen Jackson
Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr.

CHAPTER 4: DEFUNDING THE POLICE
Kori McCoy
Marc Lamont Hill
Officer Joe Ested

CHAPTER 5: BLACK WOMEN AND THE POLICE
Chikesia Clemons
Yamiche Alcindor
Captain Sonia Pruitt

CHAPTER 6: WHITE SUPREMACY AND THE US CAPITOL
Jemele Hill
Jake Tapper
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

CHAPTER 7: WHITE PRIVILEGE
Sue Bird
Kyle Korver
Rick Strom

CHAPTER 8: WHITEWASHED EDUCATION AND MEDIA
Cenk Uygur
Tim Wise
Chuck D

CHAPTER 9: WHITEWASHED CHRISTIANITY
Bishop Talbert Swan
Chris Broussard
Steph Curry

CHAPTER 10: WHITE ALLIES/ACCOMPLICES
Rex Chapman
Breanna Stewart
Stan Van Gundy
Mark Cuban

CHAPTER 11: SISTERS OF THE MOVEMENT
Alissa Findley (Sister of Botham Jean)
Amber and Ashley Carr (Sisters of Atatiana Jefferson)
Michelle and Ashley Monterrosa (Sisters of Sean Monterrosa)

AFTERWORD: Chairman Fred Hampton Jr.

“What do you see when you look at me?” a poem by Malcolm Thomas

Resources

Editorial Reviews

"A relevant, occasionally eye-opening collection of Q&As on race and privilege."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Thomas speaks with athletes, activists, religious leaders, and family members of victims of police brutality about systemic racism, exploring such topics as Rodney King, the Central Park Five, and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The strength of this book lies in its range."
—Booklist

"I admire Etan’s passion, tenacity, and commitment to fighting for our people."
—Ben Crump, Trial Lawyer for Justice

Praise for We Matter: Athletes and Activism by Etan Thomas:

"In We Matter, Thomas strives to show the influence professional athletes can have when they join the conversation on race, politics and civil rights. Thomas conducted 50 interviews, which included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Laila Ali, Michael Bennett and Eric Reid, among many other athletes, as well as journalists, television personalities and family members of unarmed black men who were shot and killed. Thomas also explored his ties with the Wizards and spoke with John Wall, Bradley Beal and current majority team owner Ted Leonsis."
—Washington Post

"Former NBA player Etan Thomas releases the timely and necessary We Matter: Athletes and Activism, in order to add useful, relevant words to the conversation on athletes and their activism."
—The Root

"Thomas has spent his life examining inequities in America particularly as it relates to race and poverty. He's spoken out against war, helped Oklahoma prisoners write poetry and rallied against police brutality...But, Thomas says he's not alone: that social issues dominate what athletes talk about behind closed doors."
—Tulsa World

"In We Matter, former NBA player and poet Etan Thomas interviews a number of notable athletes, writers, and coaches in order to explore the world of athletes and activism...It is fascinating to read the thoughts of these figures that Thomas interviews and is a great primer on the intersection of sports and politics for beginners, while also containing much that will be revealing for those already well versed in these topics."
—Fansided

"Thomas interviews athletes, coaches, and sports personalities as he covers topics related to activism from the sporting realm and how it is perceived in America. A necessary read."
—Library Journal, A Best Book of 2018

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2022

Harlem-born retired NBA player Thomas follows his much-acclaimed book We Matter: Athletes and Activism with this exploration of white supremacy in the United States, focusing particularly on contemporary police brutality. Like his previous book, this volume is built on wide-ranging interviews. Thomas opens each of his 11 chapters with personal commentary, followed by transcripts of his conversations with current and former NBA and WNBA stars, coaches, team owners, sports journalists, and others. The deeply personal and revealing conversations cover police brutality incidents like New York's 1989 Central Park Five case, the 1991 LAPD beating of Rodney King, and George Floyd's 2020 murder by Minneapolis police. Other topics include the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the complicity of Christian churches, schools, and the media in white supremacy's origins and persistence. Thomas seeks practical solutions to police brutality and stresses the importance of Black solidarity and white allyship. The book closes with a poem by Thomas's son Malcolm. VERDICT Thomas's interviews demand careful reading by all who want to expose racism, hold police accountable, and create an American society that practices social justice.—Thomas J. Davis

Library Journal

2021-11-06
Candid conversations about race and policing with key figures in media, sports, and social justice movements.

Activist and former NBA player Thomas follows up his 2018 interview collection, We Matter, with Q&As informed by the turmoil of 2020 and 2021, with a similar assortment of interviewees: athletes (Isiah Thomas, Steph Curry, Breanna Stewart), media figures (Yamiche Alcindor, Jake Tapper), and family members of Black men killed or brutalized by police (Willie McCoy’s brother, Rodney King’s daughter). The prompts for discussion include George Floyd, defunding the police, the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and the intersection of White supremacy and evangelical Christianity. The overall tone of the interviews is skeptical and dissatisfied with the lack of systemic change despite growing media attention. When Thomas tells the son of Black Panther Fred Hampton that “after Trump, Biden was a breath of fresh air,” he snaps back, “I still ain’t breathing.” The sharpest rhetoric comes from activist and broadcaster Marc Lamont Hill, who pushes against softening the phrase “defund the police,” likening it to shifting from abolishing slavery to “reform the plantation.” Trumpism, most of Thomas’ interlocutors agree, is just a more visible manifestation of White supremacy that’s been part of American life from the start. Though the intensity and relevance of the conversations are clear, especially with members of victims’ families, Thomas rarely sees his role as more than teeing up his interviewees to share experiences or familiar talking points, which blunts the overall impact. That's why his Q&A with entrepreneur and NBA team owner Mark Cuban stands out: Thomas actively challenges Cuban to use his wealth and position to extract meaningful change from police and fellow team owners, and Cuban’s earnest but evasive replies reveal just how steep the challenge is. Other interviewees include Sue Bird, Rex Chapman, Chuck D, and Jemele Hill.

A relevant, occasionally eye-opening collection of Q&As on race and privilege.

Kirkus Reviews

"Thomas speaks with athletes, activists, religious leaders, and family members of victims of police brutality about systemic racism, exploring such topics as Rodney King, the Central Park Five, and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The strength of this book lies in its range."

Booklist

"I admire Etan’s passion, tenacity, and commitment to fighting for our people."

Ben Crump