Athletics rally at Duke, organized by Nolan Smith, calls for social justice, change

Am I next.

The words popped off Duke senior guard Mike Buckmire’s cardboard sign in a way that wouldn’t be expected from the son of a surgeon, who came up through private school. Yet there Buckmire stood at an impromptu, but not quite spontaneous gathering at Duke to protest police brutality, racial injustice and systemic racism on Thursday.

His anxiety is a familiar one, one that was also being felt as it transformed into an energy Nolan Smith felt compelled to act upon late Wednesday night. Smith was already fuming over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin only to watch the subsequent killing of two protestors by a 17-year-old white male carrying an AR-15, who police passed right by after the shooting.

So as he watched NBA players refuse to suit up for Wednesday’s playoff games and reportedly consider shutting down the rest of the season. And right there, at 11:30 p.m., he decided he was going to do something about it. The former Blue Devils’ guard, who currently serves as the men’s basketball director of operations, texted student manager Elijah Williams a short, but clear, message: “We’re protesting tomorrow. How fast can you get the word out?”

“Whenever anything hits your mind, it hits your heart, you just have to act on it,” Smith told the N&O. “I didn’t want to wait for anybody. I didn’t want to check with anybody to make sure it’s okay. It was just like, we’re doing this.”

Williams spread the word among several student groups that he belongs to and Smith worked his phone to alert other coaches and teams. He also connected with Brandon Hill, a senior linebacker on the football team, who is a member of a campus group called United Black Athletes. Word of mouth and social media collectively led to a crowd of about 500 people gathered at Krzyzewskiville, the strip of lawn best known for student-filled tents camping out during the winter for basketball tickets.

Emotions were raw. Kara Lawson, Duke’s new women’s basketball coach, had about a 30-second pause to gather herself when she spoke about what it’s like to be black in America. As her team surrounded her for support, Lawson continued:

“Equality, in theory, is a basic principle, but in practice, for our country, it’s been very complicated,” Lawson said. “It’s been hard to rationalize for over 400 years. There’s a lot of anxiety involved in it. Those who are African-American know what I’m talking about. Every day when you wake up, you feel anxious -- of every minute. Knowing that on your drive to school or your drive to work, going to a restaurant, sitting in your house or hanging out with your friends at a park, that that could be your last moment on earth.”

Smith initially planned to use his public announcement system he bought on Amazon. But Duke’s athletic facilities manager assisted in setting up a proper microphone and speakers. Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African and African-American Studies was one of six people who addressed the crowd. Smith extended an open microphone to those present. Henry Coleman III, a freshman on the basketball team, initially didn’t plan on speaking when the team met prior to the rally. Coleman was moved as the event progressed and nudged Smith asking for the opportunity. He read from words he said he wrote Wednesday night, “out of pain, out of anger.”

“This country has had its knee on the necks of African-Americans for too long,” Coleman said, as his teammates, nearly all wearing black t-shirts with “Black Lives Matter” across the chest, gathered around him. “This country has had a dagger in our backs and has yet to even acknowledge the dagger, let alone try to pull it out.”

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in his discussions with players that it was important to have an “actionable item” come out of their talks. On Thursday, that took the form of the men’s and women’s basketball teams sitting at tables and registering their peers to vote.

“We need to have a display on Duke’s campus where every student is registered and will vote,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m not telling you who to vote for — but if we don’t get the proper leadership at every level in our country this is not going to go away. We look at and we can see the police brutality, but what you don’t see are the amount of educational opportunities that are deprived young black kids; health and welfare opportunities; economic opportunities. These things can only be changed with proper leadership and organization. The first step in that is for all of us to vote.”

Krzyzewski said since March the men’s team has conducted Zoom meetings with more than 100 former players and managers participating and had focus groups discussing ways to fight systemic racism and social injustice.

“It’s alright if you’re white and your friend is black to talk about this,” Krzyzewski said. “Ask each other how you feel about it, share feelings. That’s what we’re trying to do today. You feel deeply because of what’s happened.”

A common theme from those who spoke was to encourage students that there was power in letting their voices be heard. That was one of the messages Smith wanted to get out as he struggled to think of the best way to channel his emotions.

“I can’t change the world, but damnit I can change Duke while I’m here,” Smith told the crowd. “One thing coach K always says, leave every place better than when you got there. That’s what I’m here to do.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Athletics rally at Duke, organized by Nolan Smith, calls for social justice, change."