Morrow is thinking big. While he spoke well of grassroots efforts to address certain issues, his aim is to have an impact on a broader level.
“Education, structure of care, any of these structures are already oppressive in some type of ways,” he said. “And so if you’re supporting people at the grassroots level, you’re not really changing anything at the systemic level. You’re just helping the people at the bottom, and then that help goes away when you stop helping them. And you really haven’t changed anything, you’ve just helped some people and made an impact in some people’s lives. But when you’re talking about lasting impact that happens over generations, what can we be doing at that level?”
Recent events have created even more urgency for Morrow, be it the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, or the backlash to social justice efforts playing out in education, but the key is to provide a consistent presence when events arise.
“Yes, it is important to react and always let people know where you stand on these things,” he said. “But if you’re truly there for the fight, you have to be there for the fight year-round. And you can’t just show up when bad things happen. And that’s not to say there aren’t leagues, teams, players working on that issue year-round. I think what we have to do a better job of is falling back on those people that are doing the work.”
Morrow added that the plight of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who according to the U.S. government remains “wrongfully detained” in Russia on drug charges, is one example of how athletes can collaborate to call attention to an issue, with the Boston Celtics wearing “We Are BG” shirts to help the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association amplify Griner’s detention.
“It’s a good example of a coordinated effort among athletes and leagues, and what we have to assess is: Is this the most impactful thing that we can do to help her? Only time will really tell that but we have to make that effort.”
