As an outspoken board member of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, ten-time NBA All-Star and current Portland Trail Blazers forward Carmelo Anthony is featured in a new campaign for the Vera Institute of Justice debuting Thursday that mobilizes viewers to join Vera and a national coalition to create a more equitable justice system for all. In the 60-second “Power in Numbers” campaign video, Anthony shares the hard facts and statistics that show how excessive force by police dehumanizes and criminalizes Black people:

“[e]very 24 hours, nearly three people are fatally shot by police. And Black people are 3x more likely to be fatally shot by police than white people . . . The numbers are daunting. But together, we can change them.”

In the PSA, Anthony asks viewers to join thousands of advocates, organizers, and volunteers to protest the excessive police violence targeting communities of color and sign up to join the campaign’s efforts at vera.org/numbers. Vera Institute of Justice’s “Power in Numbers” campaign will continue to feature additional videos highlighting the urgent need for justice reform and will be shared across a variety of media platforms.

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About Carmelo Anthony’s Ongoing Social Justice Work:

A leader and pioneer on the basketball court, Carmelo Anthony’s storied career as a ten-time NBA All-Star and three-time Gold Medal Olympian has paved the way for the launch of his many philanthropic efforts on a global platform. As an outspoken activist against racial injustice and social inequality, he founded The Carmelo Anthony Foundation over 15 years ago as a vehicle for actionable change and social reform through a variety of outreach programs, disaster relief initiatives, and donations. In July 2020, Anthony established the Social Change Fund with fellow NBA legends Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade to invest in and support organizations focused on critical and timely issues impacting the Black community. As a leading voice for social justice across the league, in November of this past year, Anthony was named as a board member of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, an organization formed by the NBA and NBPA to leverage the NBA family’s collective influence to raise awareness, educate and advocate for meaningful reform in several areas, including voting access and criminal justice system reform at the national, state and local level.

About the NBA’s Ongoing Work with Vera:

Since 2016, the NBA has partnered with the Vera Institute of Justice on a range of programs and initiatives engaging incarcerated communities and shining a light on the need for criminal justice reform, including facilitated conversations that bring NBA and WNBA players in proximity with incarcerated citizens, collaborative storytelling and digital content, and a multi-year basketball and lifeskills program engaging incarcerated young people in New York City.

Quote from Carmelo Anthony on the Campaign:

“The facts are this: Black people are 3 times more likely to be fatally shot by police than white people,” says Anthony. “Social injustice and racial disparities in police brutality are by no means new issues, but as we have seen over the last year, the need to find a solution remains urgent. The system is broken and everyone has a role to play if we want to see change in our lifetime. There is power in numbers, and it starts with each one of us.”

Quote from Vera President and Director Nicholas Turner on the Campaign:

"The dehumanization and criminalization of Black people and the use of unnecessary and excessive police force is manifestation of white supremacy. Systemic policing reform and eliminating racism at its core is long overdue,” said Vera Institute for Justice President and Director Nicholas Turner. “Athletes can play an important role as effective organizers in our efforts to transform the criminal justice system. We’re excited to work with Carmelo Anthony and the NBA family to help engage more people in the fight to end police violence.”

About the Vera Institute of Justice:

The Vera Institute of Justice is a justice reform change agent. Vera produces ideas, analysis, and research that inspire change in the systems people rely upon for safety and justice. Vera collaborates with the communities most impacted by these systems and works in close partnership with government and civic leaders to implement change. Across projects, Vera is committed to explicitly and effectively reducing the burdens of the justice system on people of color and frames all work with an understanding of our country’s history of racial oppression. Vera is currently pursuing core priorities of ending the misuse of jails, transforming conditions of confinement, providing legal services for immigrants, and ensuring that justice systems more effectively serve America’s increasingly diverse communities. Vera has offices in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; New Orleans, and Los Angeles.