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“Just Take It Step By Step”: Russell Westbrook Has an Important Message for People Fighting Racial Injustice

Published 06/21/2020, 5:09 AM EDT

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The entire nation of the USA is joining hands to fight against racism and police brutality. Houston Rockets player Russell Westbrook wants to set an example for young kids. Westbrook wants to encourage people to speak up and he was one among the many celebrities who attended the Juneteenth Block Party in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

President Donald Trump recently organized a campaign rally in Tulsa. On the other hand, the Juneteenth party aimed at creating awareness about horrific racial happenings from the past. Westbrook joined the party in a virtual manner. Some of the other guests included US Senator Kamala Harris and documentary filmmaker Stanley Nelson. 

Earlier in the month, Westbrook announced that he would be producing a docuseries on the Tulsa race massacre. Stanley Nelson will be directing the series which is titled, ‘Terror In Tulsa: The Rise And Fall of Black Wall Street.’

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Russell Westbrook wants to use his platform to educate people

Being an NBA athlete and a nine-time All-Star, you surely get a lot of recognition. A recent interview clip of Russell Westbrook and Stanley Nelson was posted on twitter by Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic. Westbrook can be seen expressing his urge to inform people that self-belief is the key to achieving things. Moreover, the 31-year-old wants to use his fame and recognition to get out the important message. 

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“I feel like it’s my duty not just as an African-American male but being in this position having this platform to now be able to show and let people know that it’s okay to stand up for what you believe in. It’s okay to be able to sacrifice. It’s okay to be able to stand up and be strong and understand how important your word, your movement, the youth movement is, because I believe that with my platform, I’m able to kind of reach that demographic of people and kids around the world to let them know it’s okay to be able to stand up.” 

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However, doing what you feel is right is not always going to be easy. “It’s going to be a struggle,” Westbrook said. “It is not just going to be a snap of the finger going to change tomorrow. Just take it step by step. Whether its protests and whether if it is finding ways to bring light to things happening in African-American history.”

 It is incredible to see Russell Westbrook taking such initiatives to get the message across to a massive following. Sports stars tend to inspire the youth and Westbrook’s message should certainly resonate in the ears of the next generation. 

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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