Charles Barkley wants more Black plumbers, electricians to work in Alabama

Like Lebron James, former NBA player, now TV personality, will not “shut up and dribble,” one Fox News personality said. Barkley continues to express his opinions about the state of Black people in America, with his latest words expressing interest in getting more people of color to work in his home state of Alabama. While talking to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Barkley talked about things he is doing to making that a reality. James said that President Donald Trump “doesn’t give a f— about the people,” while Kevin Durant added, “And I feel like our team, as a country, is not run by a great coach.” Barkley also added his thoughts. “I’m not a fan of the president,” he said. “I don’t talk bad about the president because he is the president of the United States. But I’m not a fan. I think he’s divisive. I think he’s very divisive.” But Barkley said he is an admirer of NBA Hall of Famer, David Robinson, as well as James for their efforts in the Black community. He then discussed a new initiative he’s working on in Alabama. “I don’t know any Black plumbers, any Black electricians, any Black car mechanics. So I’m going back to Alabama over the summer and I’m going to partner with a vocational school to get more Black plumbers, electricians.” People shouldn’t be afraid of a manual labor job, Barkley said, according to Al.com. “For some reason, these millennials – or, as I call them, idiots – they think they are too good to do manual labor. There’s nothing wrong with being a plumber, an electrician or carpenter. Those are great professions. I wish everybody could play in the NBA. It’s a great life. But there’s nothing wrong with doing manual labor. It’s a great life. It’s a great profession. You can sustain your family.” Black professional athletes should be willing to invest in aiding Black communities, Barkley said, but they can’t do it alone. “I think we, as Black players, we can’t solve all the ills of the Black community,” Barkley said. “Sometimes, we get too much. But with all the money that we have, it’s important we go back in these communities. I don’t tell people how to spend their money. But if you’re making $20-30 million a year, you need to go back in your community and sponsor some kids going to college and things like that.” Barkley is already involved in aiding Black women wanting to start their own businesses. “Things like that, I think it’s important. I think it’s significant. But I think we as Black people, we cannot expect Black athletes to solve all the problems of the community. We’ve got to have some help. Some of the guys have been doing some amazing stuff. Even going back to my day, David Robinson took over a whole school. I know LeBron does that. But we need some help from the Black community. This Black-on-Black crime is atrocious. We’ve got too many single-parent families where the mom or dad is not home.”