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Melo pens letter asking athletes to take stand against social injustice

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is once again asking athletes to use their power and influence to take a stand against social injustice.

Anthony followed up last week's powerful Instagram post by writing an open letter in The Guardian on Wednesday morning, challenging athletes to demand change following last week's deadly police shootings in Dallas.

Related: Melo wants athletes to 'demand change' in wake of Dallas shootings

"Do athletes have a responsibility to stand up? I don’t want to put it all on athletes. I believe all people need to rise up and make their voices heard," Anthony wrote. "But I do think that athletes have the biggest reach, especially now with social media and all the people that follow us. We have one of the biggest platforms to speak out, one where people pay attention to what we have to say, whether it’s everyday civilians or those in positions of power. We have that influence. It’s just a matter of if we want to use it or not. Everybody uses it for different reasons. But at a time like this, you have to put aside the politics of business and whether a sponsor or somebody from a company that you represent is going to call you about it. If you’re a human being, this affects everybody."

Anthony's efforts have not gone unnoticed, as commissioner Adam Silver commended the 27-year-old at the NBA's Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday.

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