Forty-nine years is not that long ago. My mom will turn 63 this month, which means that for the first 14 years of her life, she lived in a world where she couldn't sit at a lunch counter or go to school with white children. She couldn't sleep in most hotels, go into amusement parks or borrow books from public libraries. Do you ever wonder why when you see pictures of fun places and things from pre-1964 America that you never see people of color unless they are in staff uniforms? Because they weren't allowed into these places. Things we take for granted now were foreign to Black people in this country at this time.
Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education (1954) sent a message that the United States of America was no longer a place where "separate, but equal" was an acceptable social policy. But it wasn't until the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it was officially illegal to ban people of color from "places of public accommodation." However, something people often forget is that the CRA also banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Women have, by far, been the largest beneficiaries of the CRA.
So let us not forget that discrimination and prejudice touch ALL of us and when they are allowed to flourish, they destroy ALL of us. Just because they're not looking at you this time, doesn't mean it's OK. Those who fail to remember history are destined to repeat it.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/07/02/2245221/49-years-ago-today-america-banned-whites-only-lunch-counters/?mobile=nc
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Lion in Winter
It will be a sad day when Barry Bonds breaks Henry Aaron's all-time home run record. Aaron represents all that is dignified, proud, and decent not just in baseball, but in humanity.
In the face of intense hatred, intimidation, fear, prejudice and pressure, Hammerin' Hank went to work. His former teammates said there were days when he literally limped into the locker room before a game, played like a superstar during, and then limped home. In the 70s there was no major security for high-profile athletes. So when the hate mail and death threats came, Aaron knew he was on his own. He remained quiet, smiled and went to work.
He wasn't a big man by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, he played the game honestly. He hit 755 home runs on sweat and a systematic, scholarly approach to the game that has been matched by few before or after him. But the best part is that his home runs are not all that make him special. That was Henry the ballplayer. Henry the man used his celebrity to fight for equality and to advance the cause of civil rights. A king never rests on his laurels or gets caught up in his own press.
It's not that baseball fans thought his record would stand forever. It's that we hoped that someone who was as good a man or better would be the one to break it. Instead, baseball has given us Barry Bonds--the guy who ignores fans, charges little kids for autographs, blames the media for his rotten attitude, and tries to evade paying taxes. Even if we could forgive his despicable personality, what is unforgiveable is the fact that he will claim, and in so doing, deface Aaron's hard-won record.
Although he will never confirm or deny, many roads in the steroid contriversy lead to Bonds' doorstep. If you have followed the game for a few years, you remember what he USED to look like. He was much thinner and smaller. Human beings weather in the same way paint does over time. They don't spend their 20s tiny and then morph into the Incredible Hulk in their mid-30s. Bonds would have you believe that baseball is just picking on him because he's Black and because people don't like him. He publicly muses on why the sport is not targeting former white players like Mark McGwire. Hmm....maybe because he at least LEFT the game.
Whatever the reason, the fact that Bonds would have the audacity to play the race card in defense of his indefensible behavior is another testament to the level of his self-absorption. He does not get to play the race card! Most of the hate mail he gets is because the person he presents to the world is selfish, arrogant, and oozing with an undeserved sense of entitlement. It has little to do with the fact that he is Black.
Aaron has said he will not be there when his record falls. The only explanations he has offered are that he is not interested in following the circus around waiting for Bonds to hit 756 and that he does not want to be part of all the hype since he's been there and done that. Those close to him say that while there may be other reasons, we will never learn them because that's not Aaron's style. He has earned the right to make decisions without having to worry about what everybody else thinks.
It will be a sad day when the lion finally has to relenquish his throne to the challenger. While his accomplishment will pass into history, to those of us who love and respect the game of baseball and all that he went through to overthrow The Babe, Henry Aaron will always be the true king.
In the face of intense hatred, intimidation, fear, prejudice and pressure, Hammerin' Hank went to work. His former teammates said there were days when he literally limped into the locker room before a game, played like a superstar during, and then limped home. In the 70s there was no major security for high-profile athletes. So when the hate mail and death threats came, Aaron knew he was on his own. He remained quiet, smiled and went to work.
He wasn't a big man by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, he played the game honestly. He hit 755 home runs on sweat and a systematic, scholarly approach to the game that has been matched by few before or after him. But the best part is that his home runs are not all that make him special. That was Henry the ballplayer. Henry the man used his celebrity to fight for equality and to advance the cause of civil rights. A king never rests on his laurels or gets caught up in his own press.
It's not that baseball fans thought his record would stand forever. It's that we hoped that someone who was as good a man or better would be the one to break it. Instead, baseball has given us Barry Bonds--the guy who ignores fans, charges little kids for autographs, blames the media for his rotten attitude, and tries to evade paying taxes. Even if we could forgive his despicable personality, what is unforgiveable is the fact that he will claim, and in so doing, deface Aaron's hard-won record.
Although he will never confirm or deny, many roads in the steroid contriversy lead to Bonds' doorstep. If you have followed the game for a few years, you remember what he USED to look like. He was much thinner and smaller. Human beings weather in the same way paint does over time. They don't spend their 20s tiny and then morph into the Incredible Hulk in their mid-30s. Bonds would have you believe that baseball is just picking on him because he's Black and because people don't like him. He publicly muses on why the sport is not targeting former white players like Mark McGwire. Hmm....maybe because he at least LEFT the game.
Whatever the reason, the fact that Bonds would have the audacity to play the race card in defense of his indefensible behavior is another testament to the level of his self-absorption. He does not get to play the race card! Most of the hate mail he gets is because the person he presents to the world is selfish, arrogant, and oozing with an undeserved sense of entitlement. It has little to do with the fact that he is Black.
Aaron has said he will not be there when his record falls. The only explanations he has offered are that he is not interested in following the circus around waiting for Bonds to hit 756 and that he does not want to be part of all the hype since he's been there and done that. Those close to him say that while there may be other reasons, we will never learn them because that's not Aaron's style. He has earned the right to make decisions without having to worry about what everybody else thinks.
It will be a sad day when the lion finally has to relenquish his throne to the challenger. While his accomplishment will pass into history, to those of us who love and respect the game of baseball and all that he went through to overthrow The Babe, Henry Aaron will always be the true king.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
King Kong Is a MUST See!
If you're hitting the theatre in the next few weeks and you're looking for a movie that will keep you embedded in your seat, you must see Kong. This movie has amazing special effects, a great cast, and most important, a wonderful story.
This is not your mother's King Kong, though. This is Kong at warp speed, and the best actor in the film is the ape himself. Imagine love, laughter, anger and the depths of sadness being conveyed with no words at all. The chemistry between Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts comes right out of the screen at you. When he runs off into the jungle to save her you believe that he would kick open the gates of hell to get her back. And when Kong climbs the Empire State Building you feel that he, too, is more than willing to die for this woman, this strange looking thing with yellow hair, who danced for him when others cowered in fear.
And just in case you are wary of the film because you can't see Jack Black in a serious role, let me assure you that this isn't the Jack Black that we are used to. We hear his name and we automatically think silly, crazy, funny.....School of Rock. Not this time. When I watched Kong, at first I wanted to love his character Carl Denham. His was a hard luck story. He was a guy with big ideas who just wanted to have one more shot to get his dream film made and save his career. By the middle of this flick, I had no doubt that he was still that person somewhere deep inside, but he was also a selfish charlitan who was willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get what he wanted. He cheated his friends, lied to his employees, and told every tall tale under the sun all for his own gain. He also exploited the naivete of and the love Kong had for Anne Darrow. His greed brought a beautiful creature to its knees. Adrien Brody's character Jack Driscoll put it best when he said that the thing that always amazed him about Carl was his unfailing ability to destroy the things he loved.
Does that sound like the Jack Black you know? I doubt it because he was in a whole different zone in this film. Go see it, and you'll see what I mean. Go see it if you want to feel something for your $8. Trust me, you won't regret it!
This is not your mother's King Kong, though. This is Kong at warp speed, and the best actor in the film is the ape himself. Imagine love, laughter, anger and the depths of sadness being conveyed with no words at all. The chemistry between Adrien Brody and Naomi Watts comes right out of the screen at you. When he runs off into the jungle to save her you believe that he would kick open the gates of hell to get her back. And when Kong climbs the Empire State Building you feel that he, too, is more than willing to die for this woman, this strange looking thing with yellow hair, who danced for him when others cowered in fear.
And just in case you are wary of the film because you can't see Jack Black in a serious role, let me assure you that this isn't the Jack Black that we are used to. We hear his name and we automatically think silly, crazy, funny.....School of Rock. Not this time. When I watched Kong, at first I wanted to love his character Carl Denham. His was a hard luck story. He was a guy with big ideas who just wanted to have one more shot to get his dream film made and save his career. By the middle of this flick, I had no doubt that he was still that person somewhere deep inside, but he was also a selfish charlitan who was willing to sacrifice anything or anyone to get what he wanted. He cheated his friends, lied to his employees, and told every tall tale under the sun all for his own gain. He also exploited the naivete of and the love Kong had for Anne Darrow. His greed brought a beautiful creature to its knees. Adrien Brody's character Jack Driscoll put it best when he said that the thing that always amazed him about Carl was his unfailing ability to destroy the things he loved.
Does that sound like the Jack Black you know? I doubt it because he was in a whole different zone in this film. Go see it, and you'll see what I mean. Go see it if you want to feel something for your $8. Trust me, you won't regret it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)