Magic Johnson regrets never getting a chance to meet the man honored Monday night at Arizona State University — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Johnson was a kid growing up in Lansing, Michigan at the time the preacher and one of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, but he became what King envisioned — a successful Black man who broke down racial barriers through sports, opens doors through business ventures and inspires generations.
The Hall of Famer is a product of King.
“I’m one of the young Black men who benefitted from everything he was teaching, everything he was about, everything he went around to tell people that things had to change for the better,” said the 64-year-old Johnson before a crowd of nearly 600 at the student pavilion.
ASU honored King for a stirring speech he gave 60 years ago June 3, 1964, in Tempe.
“There has to be a world where everybody is equal and treated with respect, dignity,'' Johnson continued. ''The only thing minorities wanted was an opportunity. They didn’t want a handout, just an opportunity.”
There still is racism in America. Trust and believe that.
Minorities still are being disrespected and losing their lives over the color of their skin, but Johnson continues to prove a Black man can rise above that social illness, succeed, touch people’s lives and provide opportunities to those who would’ve been denied during the time King fought for civil rights.
“Dr. King was a leader knowing he would never benefit from what he was saying,” Johnson said. “He knew he was going to die. Ruffled too many feathers, people didn’t believe in us coming together. Wanted us to stay separate, So, when I think about my journey and what he said, versus what I’m doing today.”
Johnson’s visit wasn’t just about honoring King, telling stories and making the crowd laugh — and think.
The five-time NBA champion and one of the greatest to ever touch a basketball has formed a partnership with ASU. Charles Johnson, the president of Magic Johnson’s SodexoMagic, announced a $50,000 contribution to ASU’s The Difference Engine, which addresses inequalities through various channels.
Joining its board of advisors, Charles Johnson said he learned of the Difference Engine a couple of months ago.
“We were moved by it,” he said. “Quickly called (Magic Johnson) and I said, ‘We have to be a part of this.’ It was an amazing event and an event that I was invited to and sat in a board meeting that was all about looking at the inequities of women in leadership.”
Taking it a step further, Johnson promised ASU female students Serenity Reynolds, Tajilynn Karim, and Nia Hecker each $25,000 towards their education. The students are members of ASU’s Black African Coalition.
“This was his vision, Dr. King, to have campuses like ASU where you ladies can stand up and do what you’re doing and so proud of you,” said Johnson. “… Sometimes you come and be a blessing, but then you get blessed and all three of you have blessed me.”
From his theaters and partnership with Starbucks, Johnson has created jobs for minorities with a persistence King would’ve appreciated and applauded. He pushed through being denied by banks but now sits proudly as the only Black man at the table as an equal and to be taken seriously.
Overcoming challenges to now have companies generating billions of dollars in revenue is why he stressed to his daughter, a recent college graduate, to have a business plan for a sunglasses line.
“She said, ‘Dad, I need some seed money to start my business,’” said Johnson, much to the amusem*nt of the crowd. “I said, ‘OK, where’s the business plan?’ She said, ‘I don’t have to have one, I’m your daughter.’ I said, ‘That’s not going to happen.’”
Not even tears and a talk with her mom, Johnson’s wife, Cookie, changed Johnson’s mind.
“We’ve got to teach our kids,” Johnson said.
Related:Magic Johnson reminisces on friendship with Eddie Johnson at Arizona State
Johnson didn’t receive the same benefits as a kid growing up like his children have, but he’s paved the way for those who followed him which correlates to what King endured so African Americans could have equality.
Now, let’s be clear. Johnson didn’t have to fight the racial fury King did which led to the preacher spending nights in jail and supporters experiencing brutality.
However, Johnson learned from King to remain true to himself despite how he’s treated.
“Dr. King was all about peace, and he did it with class even when they were beating him with dogs and sticks, he never got outside of himself,” Johnson said. “That told me a lot about the man and so when people disrespect me and say different things, I stay a class act. I stay a man that understands I know who I am. No one can define who I am and what I can become.”
Johnson epitomized King’s ability to impact change through words and action even before he was granted his iconic nickname. Johnson told a story Monday about being a freshman at Everett High in Lansing, Michigan, in the late 1970s when schools were being integrated through busing.
Racial tension not only was present, but it showed no signs of going anywhere.
As Johnson recalls, the principal asked the quarterback of the football team, who was white, to stop the Caucasian students from fighting and told Johnson to stop the Black students from fighting.
“I said, ‘I just got here,’” Johnson said. “‘I’m a rookie on this campus. Won’t you get a junior or a senior to talk to the students?’ He said, ‘No, they won’t listen to them, but they’ll listen to you.’”
See, like King, Johnson was chosen to create change.
How else can one explain Johnson not only surviving the HIV infection since 1991, a time when it was still considered a death sentence, but continuing to thrive and inspire millions?
Johnson regrets never meeting King, but he’s taken his message of hope and equality to continue paving the way for those who believe they too can succeed and make a difference in our society.
Have opinion about current state of theSuns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin atdmrankin@gannett.comor contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on Twitter at@DuaneRankin.
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