'White people: We are the ones that need to change!' Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tweets rallying call to end racism in the aftermath of George Floyd's 'murder'
- In response to George Floyd's killing Mavericks owner Mark Cuban directed a tweet at 'white people', whom he says have a 'moral imperative' to end racism
- Cuban, 61, said he previously thought equality meant treating people the same, but he now knows equality is about respecting peoples' differences
- Cuban took part in a vigil in Dallas on Sunday in the memory of Floyd, the 46-year-old Minneapolis man who died during a violent arrest last week
- Cuban's tweets echoed those made by former Mavs star Steve Nash, who wrote: 'This is a white problem. How are WE Caucasian people going to create equality'
- Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin has been arrested for third-degree murder and manslaughter after Floyd died in his custody
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban directed a tweet at 'white people' on Tuesday in response to the George Floyd killing, insisting that 'we are the ones that need to change' for racism to end in the United States.
'Dear White People,' Cuban's tweet began. 'We are the ones that need to change. This is not one man's story. This is almost every black man's story. Which is why the problem is ours. We need to find OUR way to change what we do. There is no quick fix. It's a moral imperative.'
Cuban included a link to an open letter from Emerson College president M. Lee Pelton, an African-American man who was arguing that structural racism is 'not a black problem.'
Mavs owner Mark Cuban directed a tweet at 'white people' on Tuesday in response to the George Floyd killing, insisting that 'we are the ones that need to change' for racism to end. Cuban took part in a vigil in Dallas on Sunday (left) in the memory of Floyd, the 46-year-old Minneapolis man who died during a violent arrest last week, sparking nationwide protests
Cuban included a link to an open letter from Emerson College president M. Lee Pelton, an African-American man who was arguing that structural racism is 'not a black problem'
George Floyd's death last week in police custody has sparked mass protests around the US
The 61-year-old Cuban was asked by one Twitter follower what he planned to change about himself.
Cuban quickly responded: 'I used to think treating people equally meant treating them the same. Like it was a math equation. I was wrong. I'm learning that treating people equally means treating them with equal amounts of respect, for who they are and what they have experienced.
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He later explained that he mistakenly 'thought being colorblind was the right thing to do' but has since learned that 'respect comes from our differences, not from thinking everyone should or could be the same.'
Cuban took part in a vigil in Dallas on Sunday in the memory of Floyd, the 46-year-old Minneapolis man who died during a violent arrest last week, sparking nationwide protests.
Cuban surprised one follower by engaging in a back-and-forth after his initial tweet
Viral video from the scene shows Floyd being removed from his car and forced to the ground, where one officer, Derek Chauvin, drove his knee into the back of his neck while the 46-year-old victim screamed that he could not breath.
Floyd appeared to be non-responsive after six minutes, but was still kept on the ground for almost three more minutes. He was later declared dead at a local hospital.
Cuban's tweets echoed one made Sunday by his former point guard, Steve Nash (pictured)
Chauvin and fellow Minneapolis cops Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng were fired last Tuesday and Chauvin has since been arrested for third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Cuban's tweets echoed those made by retired NBA star Steve Nash, who played six seasons for the Mavericks.
'This is a white problem,' the 46-year-old Nash tweeted Sunday. 'How are WE Caucasian people going to create equality? Listen. Read. Walk in others shoes. Organize. Sacrifice. Change. Support. VOTE! These are the MINIMUM of REPARATIONS.'
Nash, who grew up in British Columbia and has both British and Canadian citizenship, has been vocal about civil rights since his playing days. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014, Nash marched with and vocally backed the Black Lives Matter movement following the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on Memorial Day as he was arrested by four police officers over allegedly trying to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. He was seen in a video pleading that he couldn't breathe as white officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee against his neck
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