Jamal James is the WBA Welterweight boxing champion. He’s also a child of Minneapolis who lives and works in the city. His nickname is “Shango” but on May 25th, 2020, his name could have easily been George Floyd.
You see, James lives a few blocks away from the spot where Floyd was murdered by now convicted police officer, Derek Chauvin.
“I jog by that store every day. That could have been me,” James said to me.
Across the globe, horrified viewers watched Floyd’s murder and subsequent ignition of protests and social unrest. In Minneapolis, his death sparked pockets of violence across the city.
But it also brought the rapidly diversifying city together. African American, white, Somali, Latino and others, they all came together to demand change in a police system that gave rise to officers like Chauvin.
For the child of Minneapolis, it was an emotional call that James quickly answered.
The 32-year-old boxer and his inner circle took action. The gym where they trained was turned into a temporary food bank.
Yet this wasn’t something new. James has always been invested in his community, his city, and his state.
Circle of Discipline- Round 1
James took up boxing at the Circle of Discipline (COD) training facility in South Minneapolis at an early age. There he learned the skills that ultimately helped him defeat Thomas Dulorme for the WBA Welterweight title on August 8th, 2020.
But COD taught him much more, including life lessons that he imparts to the youth groups that he currently works with.
Circle of Discipline is a leadership group that uses boxing and youth programs to develop young leaders. It’s a program that helped James and so many others who could have easily been swept up by the streets. It’s a facility that “provides youth and young adults with alternative programs and enrichment activities that address their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.”
It’s a haven that has helped many, including James, pursue bigger goals than just daily survival.
James holds COD and its attendees in his heart because, at one time, he was them.
“I grew up on the South Side. The only difference is that I stuck to the plan.”
The discipline instilled in James as a young fighter at an early age has stayed with him. His focus, fearlessness, and ability to adjust to an opponent in the ring help him deal with the challenges he faces in life.
And while the original location of the gym has changed, the plan has not.
Every Saturday, James and his team meet with the young members of his Pursuit of Discipline (POD) group. It’s something he glowingly speaks about with great passion. It’s where he and his team speak with students about issues such as bullying, peer pressure, relationships, and personal responsibility.
They don’t speak down to them or preach to them.
No. They speak with them.
Men and women of all ages take the time to listen to and speak with young people seeking advice or guidance. Some feel lonely and distraught, feelings that increasingly affected youth across the country during the pandemic.
When the city shut down last summer, he and his team made sure residents who needed help got it.
“You gotta’ learn to stand on your two,” said James. It’s a saying he lives by both inside and outside of the ring.
Yet despite all of their efforts, there was no way to prepare for May 25th, 2020, and its aftermath.
A City Ablaze- Middle Rounds
The murder of George Floyd infuriated, saddened, disgusted, and ignited emotions in all who watched his murder. All over a measly $20.
James watched the video with an interest that was more intense than most. This happened in his city, near his house, in front of the store that he jogged by almost every day.
It conjured up memories of Philando Castile. He was the young Black man whose murder by a police officer in the neighboring city of Saint Paul in 2016 was live-streamed by his distraught girlfriend who watched him die in the passenger seat next to her.
Four years later, and the emotions still raw, George’s murder was the gasoline that enflamed an already seething city.
“The pot had been boiling and it wasn’t just there. It was all over the nation,” said James.
To watch businesses be destroyed and parts of the city burned was a tumultuous experience for James. One rife with mixed feelings.
“I can’t condone it but I can’t condemn it either,” he said. “I was just as frustrated and angered as everyone else. That could have been me, my brother or one of my homies.”
Over the next two weeks, James and his team gave out food and water to those in need during the days of unrest in the city. They arranged transportation for those who had difficulty getting around the chaotic city.
When the dust finally settled, the devastation was apparent. Burned-out buildings, looted stores, and flipped-over cars littered the streets. It was a tragic sight. But what many of us missed was how the community came together to rebuild and heal.
“I was in awe. I was shocked to see the amount of people who came together to clean up and help,” said James. “I was proud of my city for what they did when the smoke cleared. I was proud that they didn’t stay quiet, too.”
That pride is something Jamal James has always had for his city.
Minneapolis gave birth to Prince. It’s the home of Target and where Kevin Garnett once dominated for the Timberwolves. The hometown of four-time WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx and WBA World Super Middleweight Titleholder, David Morrell Jr.
It’s a city that breeds success and it’s James’ home.
“For y’all who sleep on Minnesota, you see we get down over here on a plan,” said James. “Minneapolis was like the quiet dude in the room that nobody thought had air. We done made a whole movement.”
And that movement carried its weight across America. It forced the nation to recognize, acknowledge and deal with the long-persistent problem of systemic racism in policing.
But as we all waited for the trial of Derek Chauvin to begin, Minnesota was rocked by another fatal shooting and another death of a Black man at the hands of the police.
This time the victim was a 20-year old father named Daunte Wright.
And for Jamal James, this one was extremely personal as Wright was one of his younger brother’s good friends.
Wright’s murder at the hands of former officer Kim Potter added to the pain Minneapolis and the state were experiencing.
At the gym, the Saturday discussions with the members of POD became more intense and more emotional. Wright was closer in age to the young students of the group, so it hit harder for them. They were frustrated, angry, and scared.
Why do they keep killing us? What are we supposed to do?
The murders of George Floyd and Daunte Wright have made these questions harder to answer.
And James, like us all, worried that Derek Chauvin’s trial might add to that difficulty.
The Verdict- Championship Rounds
Earlier this year, James was diagnosed with Covid and had to postpone his April fight. While he recuperated, he followed the Derek Chauvin trial closely. He saw the barricades erected around the courthouse. He could feel the tension in the city and knew Minneapolis could not suffer through another wave of destruction.
And he had worries and personal connections to the trial which made it more consuming. His brother, you see, is a Minneapolis police officer.
Prosecution team member Jerry Blackwell is part of James’ organization and helped COD move locations when building ownership changed.
On April 20th, almost a month after the trial started, the jury reached a verdict. The country stopped and watched with bated breath. In a small city about 30 minutes outside of Duluth, James and his team stopped training to watch the verdict. They weren’t in Minneapolis, but they felt the brooding tension.
“I think people are watchful and itchy. They want to see justice,” he told me.
As the judge read the verdict, they collectively held their breaths.
Guilty on all three counts.
The city celebrated. Car horns blared and people hugged each other in joy and exasperation. Two hours outside of his hometown, James and his team celebrated as a unit, but they were really celebrating with the people of Minneapolis. They were celebrating with all Black and Brown people who were suffering, angry, and fearful that an encounter with the police could mean their death without punishment.
On that day, James took some time to rejoice and reflect on a moment that was a long time coming.
“The fight ain’t won. The round was won, but not the fight,” said the champ. “We celebrated with a workout.”
The Future- Next Up
Jamal James (27-1) is preparing for his next fight which could be in June. He’s fully recovered from Covid and is returning to championship form.
But his mind is filled with visions of the future. Not just of boxing success, but of legacy.
He successfully brought boxing to his city. Yet he knows that his pro career will eventually come to an end, so he wants to ensure that his visions for the future of COD and developing young leaders comes to fruition. There’s fundraising that needs to happen to help build the new facility in order to offer more to the youth and his community, including classrooms. He’s also concerned with ensuring that the area doesn’t fall victim to the negative effects of gentrification.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with fixing a community,” said James. “But don’t kick the people of the community out who have lived there.”
This is why he puts so much effort into his Shango Nation platform. Like social justice initiatives across the country, Shango Nation aims to bring change and success through education and mentorship. It also addresses police reform through legislation, instruction, and interaction.
Jamal James is not anti-police. His brother is on the force. He even brought him in to have an honest discussion with his POD kids. He believes that through new training methods, improved screening initiatives, and genuine community interaction, relations can improve.
“It’s an admirable job,” said James. “So if you’re going to do it, you need to put more hours into it to do it right.”
James knows there’s more work to be done and the champ is willing to put in the necessary work to make his city better.
“Creating opportunities for the people we serve is one of my missions,” James said. “Letting them see that there’s more to life than just a little five-mile radius.”
While his city takes a brief moment to catch its breath, Jamal James is back to training.
But the fight outside of the ring continues.
Jamal James is well aware that he, his family, or any of the kids in his programs could be the next George Floyd, Daunte Wright, or, sadly more recently, Andrew Brown Jr. That’s why he fights so hard both in the ring and in life.
The champ from Minneapolis stands on his two, and will always work with others so they can too.
