The Sacramento Kings and the Black Lives Matter movement have formed a partnership to advocate for and advance African-American communities in Sacramento.
The agreement also includes the Build. Black. Coalition which is a group made up of Sacramento’s activists, non-profits, legal support teams, youth advocates and faith leaders.
Protesters have linked arms outside of the Golden 1 Arena before two recent Kings home games, preventing a majority of fans from entering the stadium.
We are pleased to announce that @SacramentoKings and and @Blackmatterssac have partnered with the @buildblack10 coalition to #buildblack #Justice4StephonClark pic.twitter.com/o4ZAMooF21
— Build.Black. (@buildblack10) March 29, 2018
The Build. Black. Coalition was founded after the shooting of an unarmed black man. Stephon Clark, 22, was shot and killed by police in his grandmother’s backyard. Police fired 20 shots at Clark believing that his cell phone was actually a weapon.
One of the objectives of the partnership is to support the Clark’s children. They will create an educational fund for the children’s future educational expenses.
They also plan on creating a multi-year plan to support the education of young people and to provide workforce preparation and economic development to truly assist the black youth in the Sacramento area.
Multiple events have already been planned through the partnership.
According to Kings website, the Build. Black. Coalition was created “on four foundational pillars, the Build. Black. Coalition is working in key areas: 1) Uplifting Black Youth Voices 2) Health Equity and Access 3) Justice and Policing in Black Communities and 4) Investment in Black Neighborhoods and Businesses.” (RELATED: Black Lives Matter Protesters Block Thousands Of Fans From Attending NBA Game)
After the first game where there were protests, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive spoke to the crowd sharing his support for the movement. Also, earlier this week, players wore black shirts that said “Accountability. We Are One” on the front and “#StephonClark” on the back.
The Kings play at home against the Indiana Pacers tonight, and it’s unclear if protesters will continue to block the arena entrances.