Critical Praise for We Matter: Athletes and Activism by Etan Thomas
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
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 fifty 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
In his new book, We Matter: Athletes and Activism, Thomas tirelessly interviews a range of people from NBA icons to the families of crime victims to illustrate the importance of athletes using their voice for more than just sports.
Athletes Quarterly
Thomas has spent his life examining inequities in America particularly as it relates to race and poverty. Hes spoken out against war, helped Oklahoma prisoners write poetry, and rallied against police brutality Thomas says hes not alone: that social issues dominate what athletes talk about behind closed doors.
Tulsa World
Thomass book focuses on the intersection of race and politics in sports. It features interviews with several Basketball Hall of Famers including Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Oscar Robertson, countless NBA all-stars, and the Suns Jamal Crawford. Beyond basketball, the book also addresses the NFLs collusion case of embattled players Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, as well as discussions with family members of police brutality casualties including Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and Terence Crutcher.
Arizona Republic
The honest conversations, published in transcript form and often accompanied by black-and-white photos, serve as a primer on recent police violence cases, a history lesson on the first athletes who stood up for racial justice, an examination of the experience of being young and Black in the United States, and an insightful look at how it feels to lose a loved one to tragedy, from contributors such as Jemele Hill, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Carmelo Anthony An important read, executed uniquely.
School Library Journal, starred review
Etan confronts our collective challenges and reminds us that life is not just a game, but demands a constant struggle for justice.
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!
[A]n accessible collection of interviews and essays addressing racial profiling, the power and relevance of athletes voices, gender inequality, and mental health stigmas In appealing and intelligent writing, Thomas encourages fans and athletes to share their voices and inspires thoughtful action through this well-timed and significant collection An excellent resource to spark discussions and motivate positive community expression and involvement.
Library Journal
A former NBA player and current activist returns with a collection of dozens of interviews on the subject of race in Americaall supporting the efforts of athletes to speak out and up Voices of pain, anger, and hope resound through these pagesand through the readers heart.
Kirkus Reviews
Former Marquette University basketball player and twelve-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade, along with Basketball Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are among more than fifty athletes, coaches, executives, and media personalities featured in a timely new book exploring the intersection of sports and politics.
Isthmus
Thought-provoking and often intensely moving reading.
Booklist
Danae Hampton
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 Awardboth 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 the latest title in Dave Zirins Edge of Sports imprint. Addressing issues across many different sports at both the professional and nonprofessional/collegiate level, Edge of Sports aims to provide an even deeper articulation about the daily collision between sports and politics, giving cutting-edge writers the opportunity to fully explore their areas of expertise in book form.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Published by Akashic Books
2022 Etan Thomas
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-63614-057-5
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63614-056-8; ebook ISBN: 978-1-63614-058-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2021948587
All rights reserved
First printing
Cover design: Sohrab Habibion
Back cover photo: Koshu Kunii/Unsplash
Edge of Sports
c/o Akashic Books
Brooklyn, New York, USA
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Website: www.akashicbooks.com
IntroductionIn this book, I have taken a deep dive into the topics of police brutality and white supremacy. Many chapters begin with a personal perspectivehow I have been affected currently with my family or while growing up.
I have interviewed NBA superstars Isiah Thomas and Craig Hodges about Rodney King; Abiodun Oyewole from the legendary Last Poets about the Central Park Five; Jemele Hill and CNNs Jake Tapper about the US Capitol invasion; and former NBA player Stephen Jackson about his close friend George Floyd.
I have interviewed people directly involved with or affected by those terrible eventssuch as Rodney Kings daughter Lora Dene King, and Raymond Santana of the Central Park Fivehearing their perspectives, thoughts, feelings, and how they are currently functioning in society. I have included the voices of retired police officers Carlton Berkley, Sonia Pruitt, and Joe Ested, to get their thoughts on practical, realistic solutions to the multitude of problems with the way we police in America. They all had interesting suggestions and explained the ways they are actively trying to make these changes become reality. I interviewed police officers for this book because Im not antipolice, just antipolice brutality.
