ENG- Craig Hodges

Craig hodges

Athlete for social justice

HOW DOES HE DO IT?

A son of the Black liberation movement and a convinced fighter for social justice, Hodges made a career out of seeing basketball as a vital platform for advocacy.

MEMORABLE PHRASE

"Sport had opened a gap in the wall that prevented blacks from passing through, but we admired those who were trying to tear it down completely".

WHO IS HE?

Former American NBA professional basketball player and coach.

EFFECTS OF HIS ACTIONS

His social defense is so well-known in the world of sports that years after the act in the White House, no team wanted to hire him and currently he has even been censored in the documentary Last Dance, which talks about the life of Michael Jordan, who shared a locker room with Craig Hodges.

A SIGNIFICANT GESTURE

He took advantage of one of the public events at the White House after winning a basketball title to wear the African costume, a striking white dashiki, which dazzled the sober parade of dark jacket suits.

WHAT POWER DOES HE HAVE?

As a visible face in sports, he uses his position to publicize the oppression of black people in the U.S.

United States (1960-)

CRAIG HODGES, deportista por la justicia social A former American professional basketball player and coach of the NBA, Craig Hodges is an example of an African-American athlete who has used his power as a public person to vindicate the attitude that is prevalent not only in the US, but in the world towards black people. He took advantage of one of the public events he had in the White House after obtaining a title to go dressed in typical African clothes, a striking white dashiki, which dazzled among the sober parade of suits. The shooting guardfrom Illinois wanted to act as a spokesman for the African-American community and gave President George Bush an eight-page letter containing clear demands about the bad situation of the African-American population: "I do not seek to beg anything from the government [...], but three hundred years of slavery have destroyed the black population and it is time to develop a comprehensive program of social transformation [...]. Let us hope that these issues are placed at the top of the national political agenda". Hodges himself recounts in his memoirs the social situation that led him to take this path of social defense: "The kids in my neighborhood played sports with an intensity that people with financial resources or who have never suffered racism cannot understand. Sport was like growing up with a lottery ticket. We might have had few options, but there were some. It was either sport or the street". A descendant of slaves, a son of the black liberation movement, and a convinced fighter for social justice, Hodges made a career out of feeling basketball as a vital and, above all, vindictive platform. The former Bulls player recalls in his biography how he felt excluded from the world of American sport: "Sport had opened up a gap in the wall that was preventing blacks from getting through, but we admired those who were trying to tear it down completely. I don't remember who won what at the Mexico 68 Olympics. What I do remember is being eight years old and seeing the image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in the Black Power salute. They were not afraid". His social struggle is still so well-known in the world of sports that years after the event at the White House, no team wanted to hire him and he has now been censored in the documentary Last Dance, which talks about the life of Michael Jordan, who shared a locker room with Craig Hodges. This former basketball player continues to work for the visibility of the racism suffered by the black population and the oppression that continually exists in the United States. He is now part of the Black Lives Matter movement. If you want to know more about Craig Hodges' life and work, here are some links to various websites that will give you a better idea of his social work.

• elpais.com/deportes/2020-09-06/craig-hodges-el-destierro-de-la-voz-negra.html
• thewing.es/craig-hodges-voz-silenciada-nba/
• www.gigantes.com/nba/craig-hodges-historia/
• www.solobasket.com/blog/cjimenez/craig-hodges-la-antitesis-de-michael-jordan