A man in Durham, North Carolina, noticed that a pickleball court was well lit at night while a basketball court right next to it sat in complete darkness. He called it an example of systemic racism, and his video managed to reach authorities, who actually did something about it.
Paul T, also known online as ogslack1, shared the story on TikTok. He has no online presence, meaning that he used his account specifically to denounce the court lighting discrepancy. The clip attached above soon went viral, garnering 328,700 views, 107,200 likes, and more than 1,600 comments in days.
The North Carolina man was at Bethesda Park in Durham, where he showed the well-lit pickleball court right behind him. It was around 6 p.m., and Paul shared how he would go home as a kid right after sunset. According to him, he didn’t grow up with “lights on courts.”
‘Systemic Racism’
However, the pickleball court behind him, as said above, was still pretty much alive. Many players were on the court enjoying a few pickleball games. However, the same couldn’t be said about the basketball court right next to it. It sat in complete darkness.
To Paul, this lighting difference was a symptom of racial inequality. He argued, “The people on this side, they don’t look like me. Very few of them look like me. But on this side, everybody looks like me. And yet one side has lights and one side doesn’t.”
The North Carolina man then called out Durham Parks & Recreation and Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams, telling them to “do better.”
“We can’t live in a society that has lights on this court and no lights on that court and talk about ‘systemic racism doesn’t exist,'” he added. “Light my courts!“
Internet Reacts to North Carolina Basketball Court Lighting Controversy
Many viewers reacted angrily to the differences between the two courts. One said, “It is that deep.” Another one commented, “Call your friends to learn pickleball and do a little social experiment.”
Other viewers agreed with Paul’s point regarding systemic racism. One said, “The lights work, just not for us.” Another one wrote, “And if you brought a set of lights out, there it would be a problem.”
In a follow-up posted days later, Paul revealed that the City of Durham and Mayor Williams managed to light the basketball court. He said his work is not done, as other courts in Durham currently have lights at night only three days a week.
