Social justice was a major storyline surrounding Duke men’s basketball’s summer and preseason, from Coach K’s Black Lives Matter video statement in June to the team’s Krzyzewskiville peaceful protest in August.
And while the Blue Devils’ work with social justice may not be making national headlines now that the season is in full swing, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t continued behind the scenes.
“Since [the peaceful protest], I think the biggest thing that we have done is really to continue to have an open discussion about what is going on in the country and going on in this world,” senior guard Mike Buckmire told The Chronicle.
Buckmire detailed that after the peaceful protest in August, he and his teammates were able to have conversations about topics that previously they may not have wanted to “talk about openly and honestly,” including texting about things they’re seeing on the news.
One recent example was the Jan. 6 riots on Capitol Hill.
Buckmire remembers texting teammates while he was watching the events unfold on television, as well as the conversations the events sparked in the following days.
“It really was shocking to watch—not necessarily even the implication of it, but just watching this moment in history,” Buckmire said. “And I think as the next few days came, it obviously came up in conversation. It was something that we talked about—really just how absurd the moment was.”
The Pennsylvania native acknowledges that at that time, the team’s aforementioned open discussions had taken “a bit of a backseat” due to the season, but that the riots resparked those conversations.
Overall, Buckmire says one of the major benefits of the team being able to talk so honestly with one another is that it’s helped bring everyone closer together, something especially important for a group with so many new freshmen.
“I think definitely, within the short term, we have come together, maybe closer, and definitely a lot quicker than most teams that I've been here with,” Buckmire said. “This definitely gave us a topic and an opportunity really to come together and just talk and really not only address the issue, but get to know each other.”
In addition to the emphasis on open discussions, Buckmire said he and his teammates have made voting a priority, both within the team and the local community.
“Making sure all of us are registered and making sure all of us actually went and got our ballots in,” Buckmire said. “I know that personally, I had to send an absentee ballot...we're making sure that everybody here made their voices heard, which is a lot of what I had said, and other people had said, at that summer event.”
He added that the team helped spread awareness related to the importance of voting out in Durham as well, ensuring they were taking the actions they emphasized that summer day in Krzyzewskiville.
“We had to realize, and we have realized and maybe take it for granted and forget, the platform that we are on at Duke,” Buckmire said. “Especially within the Durham community, [there are] a lot of people that look up to us.”
As one of the Blue Devils’ few upperclassmen, Buckmire has been one of the leaders in the locker room when it comes to issues of social justice. But in a program with so much constant turnover, keeping the team’s current culture of open and honest discussion certainly won’t be easy.
Buckmire acknowledges this difficulty, and says it’s all about encouraging the younger players to speak up.
“It starts with trying to help empower the freshmen and some of the younger guys and newer guys to speak their voice and speak their mind,” Buckmire said.
The Germantown Friends School product added that he wasn’t as talkative his freshman year in Durham, especially about anything serious, and that as one of the older guys on the team he’s taking it upon himself to “get people out of their shell.”
That way, this will be far from just a one-year thing.
“My hope, obviously, is for the next line of older veterans to do the same with their freshmen,” Buckmire said, “and on and on and on to continue the conversation.”
Editor's note: This article is one of many in The Chronicle and The Daily Tar Heel's annual rivalry edition. Find the rest here.
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