Dwyane Wade has been vocal about athletes using their status and platform to take a stand against social injustices in the viral speech he made with his brotherhood, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony at the ESPYs. Wade’s stance against gun violence was strengthened after the shooting death of his cousin, Nyeka Aldridge. Over the past weekend, Wade was in Miami for the D-Wade CommUNITY Bike Ride, an event that brought a total of 1,000 local residents and police officers together for a 6-mile bike ride in Coconut Grove.
“Actions speak louder than the words you say,” Wade said Saturday. “We have to continue to do things in our communities to try to raise the bar. The great thing about being an athlete today is you can make a stand for what you believe in, and it’s OK.”
“First of all, it’s not OK,” Wade told ESPN when asked about the Philadelphia shootings. “I’m not promoting that killing is OK. I’m a supporter of my community, the African-American community. I’m a believer in Black Lives Matter, 100 percent. But I’m also a believer that it’s not OK for anyone to kill. It’s all about communication.”
“I think police need to do a better job of communicating to the community of what they’re looking for and what they’re out there doing,” Wade continued, speaking of the general unrest that exists in some communities. “And it’s important for the community to have an opportunity to communicate back to them as well — to have them explain whatever their problems [are] and how they’re handling them — to be able to move past this terrible epidemic we’re seeing. Today, this ride was all about unity.”
“If you have something you believe in, take a stand and get behind it,” Wade said. “We have this platform. … We’re portrayed as bigger than life because we’re on the big stage. But we’re everyday people as well. And it’s OK to have a voice and express that. We through a call out [in July] to all athletes to use their voice and their platform to do more … to help the community, whatever race you are, and to stand up for what you believe in. And it’s great to see athletes standing up to do that.”
source: ESPN
