Again, we miss our Reparations....

Tonight I'm watching Monday Night football. (You know it's nice to see that the two best teams in the league - the Colts and the Bears - both have Black head coaches.) In the follow-up commentary on the game, the commentators began critiquing Arizona...it was a terrible loss. There is no excusing Arizona giving up a 20+ point lead.

But, what does football and this loss have to do with Reparations? The commentators began criticizing the Cardinals, and singled out Denny Green. Now, I am a firm believer that coaching bears much responsibility for a loss of this type. However, I want to look at the way the critique was played. Chris Berman started by saying, (paraphrase) we see the progress made by Luvie Smith, and Tony Dungy, and Marvin Lewis, and then we think about Denny Green...

Well true, Coaches Smith, Dungy and Lewis all have great programs and winning teams. They all took over teams that were struggling, and turned them around. But, of the 32 teams in the NFL are those coached by the aforementioned the only ones that were struggling? Why is it that only those teams with Black coaches were singled out?

A coach should be compared to his peers. He should be held to certain standards. But, why are we condemned to have White coaches with lackluster performances loom around the league (Rod Marinelli, Dick Jauron, Mike Nolan, Nick Saban). The way Chris Berman stated things, it was as though he made the judgment that bringing in some Black coaches has worked out, but that Black coaches still had a way to go.

The worst part was that Michael Irving and Tom Jackson heard this and didn't take the opportunity to point out the countless White Coaches who have had worse tenures with their teams. I'm not implying that Chris Berman even meant to slight Denny Green, however those comments don't help to alleviate the stereotypes of those who still suffer from acute cases of racism.

Again, racism call us to create teachable moments, where we uncover the vestiges of institutional racism that still plague our society - infecting the soul of our Country. Reparations is everywhere. It's not an issue of money. It's an issue of repairing the lives of a people - lives that were systematically broken. Reparations is about restoring dignity to a people. It's not about wearing a badge of victim. But, it is about using our various platforms as a chance to be vocal for those who have no voice in hopes of relieving some of their hardships. May God help us heal our wounds through steady doses of the truth.

Reparations & Creating Teachable Moments...

I sat this evening, watching Ed Bradley (of 60 Minutes on CBS) do a story on the "Duke Lacrosse Rape" case. This interview was very interesting. Not so much for what was said, but for the appearance it gave. The interview appeared as though 60 Minutes was hired by the Defense Attorneys. Ed Bradley (their Negro commentator) was used to interview those involved, and a Negro professor was also used as an "expert" of sorts - I assume to quell the race issue.

All in all, it was a smart tactic by whomever initiated the interview. However as a descendant of those subjected to American slavery and Jim Crow, another factor made this interview more interesting. What matters in my analysis is not the innocence or guilt of the parties involved, nor the truth or falsehood of the statements made. I have no way of judging guilt or innocence, truth or lies, and I will not attempt so to do. However, I will look at Mr. Bradley's role as a journalist and the squandered opportunity for us to have a bit of Reparations.

In the interview, you hear the defendants profess their innocence. You hear they lament how their whole lives are changed instantly by one accusation. You hear them speak of the tribulation this situation has caused in their lives, and the lives of their family.

I found myself understanding such a plight. And if these claims prove to be false, then indeed a great injustice has occurred and much damage done to the reputation of these young men. Yet, in hearing their story I found myself asking, how many of our African brothers and sisters (both deceased and living) have been faced with such a plight? I myself can remember police bulletins looking for a Black male between 5'8" and 6' tall weighing 185 lbs, wearing dark clothing. How many of us have been wrongfully accused and convicted - picked from a lineup simply because of our skin color?

They picture the Prosecutor as someone manipulating a racial situation for his own political gain. How many times have our people been victimized by the system in order to appease the sentiments of the majority?

Now I'm not asking or hoping that anyone be victimized. Victimizing someone cannot serve as Reparations for the victimization faced by our people. Yet, creating a teachable moment would have gone far in repairing the damage done.

Reparations calls for us to create teachable moments. We ought to use every opportunity to open the eyes of others that they might better understand the hardships faced by our people. Ed Bradley could have ended the interview by giving the nation some perspective. The mainstream "White American" society can empathize with these young men. It is easy to see them as victims.

Yet, when the tables are turned and young Black men are sitting in the same seat as these White men are, society at large quickly dismisses any possibility of wrongful accusation. This case is a perfect opportunity for America to be educated on racism. This is a perfect opportunity for our Country to gain further understanding of our various struggles.

We are in this Country together. For us to coexist, we must understand each other. Part of gaining our Reparations involves creating teachable moments, where we educate the society-at-large of the various nuances of being Black in America.

Our journalists have to use the platforms given to them for the benefit of us all. God gives us nothing for our own gain. But, we are given blessings that we ourselves might bless others. So let us strive to not miss opportunities to promote healing.