It's That Time of Year!

February 2, 2006

That’s right, it’s Black History Month! Morgan Freeman was a moron for saying BHM needs to be disacknowledged. The most moronic thing about that was his thought that we can get rid of racial animus of people stop talking about it. That’s right, America will treat me better if I just sit there and take all the shit she gives me. Morgan, you’re a genius!!!
Moron.
Anyway, I think I’ll pop up every now and then this month and tell you bizarre things I’ve seen related to BHM. In some cases, I’ll be extrapolating that BHM is the cause of the event without concrete proof. But if I see a picture of Rick James superimposed with Nelson Mandela in the window at HMV, I can pretty safely guess that it’s for BHM. I’m clairvoyant like that.
Anyway, the Dutch Masters played a game yesterday at an elementary school in Chapel Hill. Now, let it be known that Chapel Hill is about as black most affluent areas, which is to say not very black at all.
So I pull up to the school and see the marquee has the word racism in it. So I stop the car to make sure I can read what’s on there. Turns out it was a quote.
“RACISM IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO NOT TRY YOUR BEST.” –A. ASHE
That would be Arthur Ashe, of course. And that quote would be a really bizarre one to put up. What were they trying to accomplish with that one?

I don’t have the numbers, but it’s safe to guess there are only a couple of more black people in that school than there are in my living room right now. FYI, I live alone.
So who’s that quote pointing towards? The five black people there? That would be a waste of marquee space, wouldn’t it? They’d be better serve to just send out notes to all the black folks and tell them that personally. Or was it to the white kids, letting them know that the leg up racism affords them shouldn’t be a proxy for hard work? I ain’t putting money on that one.
For Black History Month in a white area, I’d like to think they’d find a quote the white kids could get a little more use from. How about challenging them to fight against racism? That’s novel, right?
It doesn’t help that I only partially agree with Ashe’s quote. I ain’t putting up with more racism than I absolutely have to. When my Little League baseball coach inexplicably refused to play me, Mack just told me I wasn’t playing baseball anymore that season. Wasn’t no need for me to put up with that. I wasn’t about to keep that up to prove some sort of point to that dude. I didn’t need that coach and his nonsense, so I was out. In that case, racism was a great reason to do something else. Some might call it quitting, and that would probably be right in a denotative sense. But not with the connotation generally associated with quitters.
But if someone really wants something, (s)he has to truck through and make it happen in spite of racism. It can be exhausting, but I manage to wake up every morning and get it done.
Anyway for Black History Month, how ’bout we not say stuff that could be taken as encouraging kids to put up with racism, ha? That sound cool to you?

Comments


Kirk

November 26, 2024, 10:45 pm

The real reason that your Little League coach didn't play you, as Roland Warren could have told you, is that unmarried players are at a disadvantage. You simply couldn't be trusted with the baseball. You're right. Now accepting proposals from any of you sexy ladies out there.

sandy darity

November 26, 2024, 10:46 pm

Actually there's more black students at Chapel Hill High than you might imagine, Bo. Approximately 18-20 percent of the student body. But you're on point about how bizarre that is as a quotation to post. Taken out of context from Ashe it sounds like it is signalling to all the students at Chapel Hill High that black students' (presumably lower) academic performance is due to their own lack of effort (self-sabotage)... So systemic school racism, like racialized tracking, which results in a variety of barriers to black achievement, is not to b e viewed as the fundamental cause.

Maura Alia

November 26, 2024, 10:47 pm

If you have some free time Baba, I'm sure I could propose a thing or two. lol

Marisa-Andrea

November 26, 2024, 10:48 pm

Funny about the Little League comment. That reminded me of my brother --- he was consistently the most talented player on the team (would get voted as MVP by his teammates, nomimated for All Stars, etc) but the coaches always had some lame ass excuse as to why he couldn't play in the tournaments. It was such utter bullshit. One year, it was region lines, another year something else. I loved it when the coach would tell my parents "Well, yes, Jason IS definitely hands down the best player but----" Yeah. As for Morgan Freeman, as much as I love the dude for his acting skills, I lost some respect for him when I heard that. And of course, white people all over America are looking at Morgan Freeman with applause: Yes, see, that negro said it. Stop talking about racism already. Ridiculous.

ladyb

November 26, 2024, 10:49 pm

i love it when well-off (read RICH!) black people suggest we stop talking about race. WOW! what a novel idea! when i grow up, i wanna be rich like morgan so i can live in a race-less bubble and actively ignore all the little broke a* black folks out there who can't afford to pretend they're not black. anyway, i like ashe's quote. it's good for some people to consider - like me...

Rex

November 26, 2024, 10:50 pm

I guess there's always a happy medium somewhere... I remember watching a Branford Marsalis interview on the old Bob Costas "Later" show. They were talking about the incedent in Denny's which prompted the writing of his song "Breakfast At Denny's." Costas then asked him about his feeling on "pulling the race card," (the term used on the show). I was shocked to hear that Branford thought, "That's the coolest thing in the world." He basically said, to paraphrase, that it was a great advantage to have, or to use when you need it to get your way. He didn't care if it was right or wrong to "pull it," but if it worked for him, so be it. While Morgan thinks you should ignore Black History and Arthur thinks you should ignore racism (oversimplification of both their points, I know), Branford thinks you should exploit it? Where's the happy medium? P.S. Bo, you ignoring my e-mail? Sore about that b-ball game? (joking...)

aliajsmith

November 26, 2024, 10:51 pm

I don't think Morgan was trying to "disacknowledge" Black History Month at all...nor was he saying that we need to immediately end all discussion on race. And this may be one of the first times I'm disagreeing with you (other than about sports, but, hey, you ask for it...), but I don't think he's a moron, either. I think he was just making the point all of us have (hopefully) made at one point or another: that the concept of a Black History "Month" relegates the celebration of our accomplishments to the 28 days in February. That by setting aside only one month, we're saying that March 1 through January 31, it's okay to accept a Whitewashed version of history. Yes, Black History Month is better than No History Month at all, but why NOT learn about our achievements throughout the rest of the year? All that's well and good in the theoretical, but reality is that Black History Month is what we've got to work with. Get rid of it and kids won't know the difference between Martin Luther King and Martin Lawrence. At some point, pragmatism has to emerge. As for Freeman, everything else he said discredits whatever benefits of doubts I would normally afford someone.

williethepimp

November 26, 2024, 10:52 pm

Now Rex, though I have not seen the footage that would allow me to analyze vocal inflections, facial expressions, or other gesticualtions that might indicate his sentiments, I would advise you not to underestimate Marsalis' propensity for wit (too woo...) or even jest. As one who has seen him perform live and is familiar with his recorded material, I wouldn't put a little jab here or there past him.

eauhellzgnaw

November 26, 2024, 10:53 pm

In theory, I'm critical of BHM for the same primary reason Freeman gives: we should be teaching black history all the time as an integral part of American history. Confining it to a month suggests that it is not part of "normal" American history; however, his assertion that we can move beyond race by ignoring it is not only flat out wrong, it's dangerous. I think that your indignation about this latter comment is biasing your assessment of his comment on BHM. I don't know if he made the second comment immediately after the first, or if the magic of TV editing placed them side by side, but the two are distinct and should be criticized separately. I'm also not very fond of the atomistic emphasis on heroic leaders/inventors that BHM and all popular models of American history cultivate. Having said that, just because I don't need black leaders and achievements to be "legitimized" by mainstream, formal recognition, doesn't mean that it's not valuable, especially for kids and black folks from previous generations. Thus, I've always supported BHM in practice. Does that make sense?

Rex

November 26, 2024, 10:54 pm

Good point Willie. Maybe I missed it, but it seemed even ol' Bob was taken aback by it. Maybe he thought he was back on Leno trading barbs back and forth with Jay. Anyway, I hope he was kidding... I'm jealous too! You've seen him live? I'd love to see him and Winton. We don't get jack shit out here in Hawaii for "quality" concerts. We have an AWESOME venue at the Hawaii Theatre for it if they should choose to come.

aliajsmith

November 26, 2024, 10:55 pm

Kids don't know the difference between Martin Luther King and Martin Lawrence now. Ask those White kids in the 'burbs who Carter G. Woodson is and you'll get a blank stare. Hell, ask most of my kids the same question and you'll get the same response. "What we've got to work with" sounds an awful lot like settling to me. Settling never got us anywhere. (Theoretical vs. Pragmatic, Idealist vs. Cynic...it's the same debate, isn't it?) As for the rest of what Freeman said, I just chalk those comments up to Bill Cosby Syndrome, that rare affliction that causes Black men above the age of 65 to say ridiculous things, perhaps because the realization of their own mortality makes them crankier than a roomful of two-year-olds. I'm dreading the day when it hits Samuel J.

Fred Batiste, A Weapon of Mass Destruction

November 26, 2024, 10:56 pm

It's not everyday here on Eye-in-tee-ell cyberspace extravagizzle that I get to see SUperior products like the Marsalis brothers mentioned. Thank you Bo, for my daily reminder that wherever there's greatness, there's usually a Southern University and A&M College graduate behind it.... Awite, back on the topic, rich old black people with their antiquated sense of moral responsibility are really out of touch with what's going on with the rest of black America. The only way I'll say "get rid of BMH" is if the history of black folk is fully integrated into the history curriculum. However, some of our people only get a sense of black pride after Jan. 31 and before March 1 and some people only look into it during those dates as well. Until that doesn't happen anymore, then BMH has relevance. But then again, if no one's out there constantly looking and digging into our history 365 days a year, then some of us won't get those lessons.

Comments

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Watch Now:
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays | 12p ET

Recent Posts

COMMENTARY >

Articles written by Bomani

INTERVIEWS >

Featured Appearances

PRESS >

Bomani in the Media

Subscribe to The Email Jones