UCLA Ball Players Released for Shoplifting
Imagine if you will, a world where Black men and women of influence understood their true power? A world where these men and women used said influence to empower other people of color. We would collaborate on ideas, and promote each other’s projects and products. It would be what the foundation of buying Black is all about. The movement has made excellent strides, but there is still some ways to go.
College freshmen, Cody Riley, Jalen Hill and LiAngelo Ball were arrested after an an alleged shoplifting incident in Hangzhou, China. Facing up to a year in jail time, they were released on bail and held at their hotel while under investigation. The UCLA basketball players will come back to the United States with no record, thankfully. It is important though, to digest the magnitude of their actions.
These young men took a risk at a Louis Vuitton store and got caught. Clearly, they were only thinking about the instant gratification designer labels bring. How empowering would it be though, if these young men of color believed that shopping and buying black made more of a statement than an antiquated designer label? The allegiance we pledge to brands where we lack representation, and regularly discriminate against us needs to stop. Our thinking needs revision. Patronizing high end labels should not deem wealth and status. True wealth comes from a sense of community.
Combined, these guys have a following of nearly 2 million people on social media. They play on a Division I NCAA team. LiAngelo Ball and his family have a reality show…it’s easy to say that they’re pretty famous. What if these young kings were trending for a project that put people of color on the forefront, rather than for shoplifting some shades? Our community has been making a more positive shift, but we need to do better. How do we get young trendsetters to realize the true power in their popularity?]]>
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