Stephen Curry says successful black people can be viewed as ‘anomalies’
Written by News on 14/07/2020
Stephen Curry says hugely successful black people such as himself still have to deal with ‘subtle racism’.
The Golden State Warriors player said that well-spoken black people are too often regarded as ‘anomalies’.
Curry was one of a number of top athletes who spoke to NBC Sports on their ‘Race and Sports in America: Conversations’ show on Monday night.
“The preconceived notions of how they (white people) view rich, successful black people as anomalies and our intelligence and our well spokenness, that’s always the first thing you hear,” he said.
“That’s the subtle racism and prejudice that kind of starts to add on itself.
“If another white person hears that comment, they’re going to think the same thing.
“And it’s not going to trickle down to anybody else, and be able to create opportunities for somebody else to get in that room and prove their value, prove their worth.
“It’s just shifting perspectives and, again, holding everybody accountable – whether it’s a private conversation, whether it’s a tweet, whether it’s a video.
“Whatever it is, to do the right thing, to see everybody as equal, and that’s all we’re asking for.”
Former NBA star Charles Barkley is worried that, while sports greats like himself and other members of the panel are well-respected, poorer black people are not afforded the same courtesies.
He said: “The notion that rich and famous black people are treated like regular black people, that’s not right.
“We (successful athletes) get treated great. But I always worry about how we treat poor black people.
“I’m not worried about how they treat us, because it really comes down to economics, too, at some point, because rich black people aren’t treated like poor black people.
“And that’s the thing, we’ve got to really engage conversation.
“How can we get more black people and poor white people also – they’re in the same boat – give them economic opportunity?
“That’s what America’s really got to grapple with.”
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Stephen Curry says successful black people can be viewed as ‘anomalies’
