SALT LAKE CITY — As the nation honors the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., the question of race relations in Utah still remains.
Ahead of a day of service Monday at Vivint Arena, former Jazz star and current team broadcaster Thurl Bailey shared his experiences as a Black man in Utah and where the state stands regarding progress.
"As we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy, I think one of the things we have to remember is that we’ve made some progress, not just in Utah, in our country in general," said Bailey. "But we still have a long way to go."
"When I first came to Utah it was not a struggle for me, but a culture shock."
Bailey said there were things he had to get used to after being selected by the Jazz in the 1983 NBA Draft, but that people also had to get used to him. His culture wasn't prevalent in the state, so he said the first thing he did was to surround himself with "really good people."
But Bailey's experience wasn't always positive.
"A lot of it was because of ignorance. I’ve made my home here in Utah for the last 30 years, so something must have worked."
Before facing his former team last month, ex-Jazz star Donovan Mitchell said that racial issues in Utah were "exhausting," and that it's much easier for him in Cleveland where he currently plays for the Cavaliers.
"Donovan expressed his opinion about his time here in Utah, and it wasn't all bad," said Bailey. "I just think that there’s still a lot of education, a lot of learning, a lot of acceptance that needs to go on. I think there’s always something to learn."
Bailey said that while Utah is behind other places with more diverse populations and an understanding of what other cultures can bring, there has been been progress.
Other Jazz players have expressed hesitancy about playing in Utah, having heard about intolerance or the racial make up of the state, where the Black population is just two percent.
"I think that we’ve come a long way in the sense of understanding the true meaning of diversity ... over the years there’ve been things that have happened that maybe in the past the response to those things wouldn’t have been satisfactory," he added.
Bailey believes that Salt Lake City hosting the Olympics in 2002 helped Utah become a world stage and broaden some horizons, as well as policy and attitude changes within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"As a member myself, I’ve seen some gradual changes. A lot more inclusion involved. So those are some of things I’ve noticed over the years, again, not perfect, but there’s an intentional effort if you will to understand and be better, all of us."
