Over the past several years, many high-profile shootings have made headlines and exposed one of the biggest problems that plagues our nation: gun violence. Whether a mentally unstable individual walks into a public establishment and randomly shoots several people, an officer shoots an unarmed citizen, or one of our youth are killed due to gang violence, gun violence is a multi-generational issue that continues to affect us directly or indirectly everyday.
One of the nation’s hotbeds of gun violence is the beautiful city of Chicago, whose rich history has become overshadowed by years of gun and gang violence. There is no simple solution to change this problem, but the first step to solve any problem is to have the conversation. This is why the good folks at ESPN’s The Undefeated took matters into their own hands Thursday night and hosted a much-needed town hall conversation entitled An Undefeated Conversation: Athletes, Responsibility, and Violence.
Hosted by ESPN’s own Jemelle Hill, the conversation took place at the Southside YMCA in Metro Chicago and included a wide range of community leaders, members of the media, and Chicago-born athletes. One of these athletes is Chicago Sky guard Cappie Pondexter, who opened up about losing three young cousins under the age of 23 to street violence, and how hard it is to be a traveling athlete while her family is dealing with their losses. She also offers encouraging words to our youth by telling them to be themselves and not to worry about following others. Check out part of her portion of the conversation below:
New York Liberty President and Chicago native Isiah Thomas also participated in the panel conversation, adding that there are also many positive things that take place in the community:
According to @iamisiahthomas things aren’t all bad. #UndefeatedConvo pic.twitter.com/jNdZC6cD58
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) August 26, 2016
The topic of an athlete’s social responsibility is at the forefront of this conversation. With the influence of the Black athlete at an all-time high, many are finding themselves in an interesting space in trying to find the best way to make an impact in our communities and to speak out against injustices. In recent months, we have seen many athletes take a stand fearlessly, including members of the New Liberty and Indiana Fever and New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony, who has used his platform in NYC and at the Olympics to talk about the work that needs to be done to make our nation great again.
For full post-coverage of this powerful conversation, visit http://www.theundefeated.com.
