On June 13^th, 2019, the Toronto Raptors made history by winning their first ever NBA Championship. However, for Masai Ujiri, the Raptors president, this exciting moment was dampened by an altercation with a sheriff’s deputy who tried to deny Ujiri access onto the court to celebrate with his team. Ujiri, a black man, was the only individual stopped and singled out by the police officer when trying to access the court. This account has been described as a typical act of racial profiling demonstrating what it’s like to be a person of color in today’s society. Ujiri was carded and met with hostile behavior despite being one of the league’s most high-profile executives, a situation you wouldn’t see any of his white peers experience. Over a year later, and despite eyewitnesses and video evidence showing the dispute, Ujiri is still in the midst of a legal battle regarding the incident.  

The institutionalized racism and fascist demeanor of many U.S. police departments has been a hot topic as of late. A system that seems to favor those who are white, while simultaneously oppressing and discriminating against those of color is the harsh reality of today’s world. Research conducted in Great Britain has shown that black people are more than twice as likely to be stopped and questioned by police than their white counterparts. The situation is even more severe in the U.S. The incident with Masai Ujiri goes to show that despite one’s hard work and success, if you are a person of color, you must jump hurdles and deal with obstacles that are not present to those who are white. With Ujiri’s ongoing case, we can only hope that it will soon come to an end and he will receive the compensation and justice that he deserves.  

Tonyp99 

Featured image: Masai Ujiri dazed after an altercation with a sheriff’s deputy that tried to deny him entry to the court following the Raptors 2019 NBA Championship (Source: James Clark)