Dr. Jason Johnson highlights the history of Ida Clark for Black History Month. Other panelists include Annie Linskey (The Boston Globe), Howard Fineman (NBCNews.com), and host, Chris Matthews.
Black History Month
The Root: Fight, Flight or Freeze? Trump Is the Ultimate History Test for Black America
I remember sitting in class back in high school and learning about slavery, Jim Crow and the civil rights movement (since that’s all they taught about black history) and thinking … what the hell?
The few other black kids in my class and I would often mutter that we never would have been slaves. We just knew, from the comfort of our plastic chairs, under the fluorescent lights of homeroom, that we would have told Massa he could pick his own cotton. We would’ve thrown that bar of soap back at the election official in the Jim Crow South. We all envisioned ourselves badass mixtures of the slaves from Eddie Murphy’s routine in Raw and Granddad’s version of Catcher Freeman.
In your 10th-grade mind, no matter what the odds or the costs, you weren’t going to just sit back while someone dehumanized you, right? Well, now is your chance. With exactly 10 days into the presidential administration of Donald Trump, we have seen a flurry of policies that mirror how apartheid, Jim Crow and every other seemingly impossible system of oppression and violence started in a democracy when people didn’t think it was possible. The question is, now that you’re no longer in the comfort of that classroom, what are you going to do about it?
The highlights of the Trump administration’s first week are pretty clear, but just as a refresher on some of the biggest points:
- He set in motion the repeal of the Affordable Care act without a functional replacement, putting potentially 5 million African-American women alone out of effective health care plans.
- He started a trade war with Mexico in a move that will affect access to and availability of working-class jobs, especially in the Southwest.
- He banned immigration and non-American travel from seven mostly Muslim countries that have never attacked the United States (that also don’t happen to have any business ties to Trump personally); a precursor to other restrictions on Muslim Americans (20 percent of whom are also African American).
- He appointed a white nationalist and terrorist sympathizer to the National Security Council, replacing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Did I miss anything? Quite a bit, actually, but that’s the point. The speed at which a president can move when unencumbered by tradition, norms or a functional opposition party is stunningly fast.
This is around the point in class where you started to squirm as a kid. Wasn’t it obvious to black people when Jim Crow started? Why didn’t they move? Why didn’t people just refuse to work on a white man’s farm? Why not just move north, or to the Midwest or Canada? Of course, what you didn’t realize then is that comfort is a serious drug. Most African Americans understand that Trump is a threat, but have no idea what to do about it, or else assume that we’ll just survive it as we have every other hostile administration. That’s a big gamble. Your 10th-grade self wouldn’t approve.
Trump, in every speech, every campaign stop and every public statement portrays America as this apocalyptic Mad Max wasteland full of angry protesters, predatory blacks and secret cabals of Muslims. The only solution to this chaos is massive crackdowns on dissent, information and the freedoms of undesirable people. Protesting against Trump is good, but it’s not enough when he sees the populace as an unruly mob anyway.
The goal can’t simply be to restore rights or undo wrongs that Trump and his supporters in state legislatures across America (remember them?) might engage in. The goal must be to change the electoral system to prevent this kind of leadership from occurring again. The goal must be to pass laws to inoculate the public from arbitrary and discriminatory legislation. The goal must be to bring a similar level of protests to every injustice by the government, be that the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota; water in Flint, Mich.; or a shooting in Charlotte, N.C.
If you can argue on Facebook about the Muslim/immigration ban, you can call your state legislator and ask him or her what he or she is doing about it. (Here’s an easy link to find who your state rep is.) If you can tweet a bunch of anti-Trump memes, you can contact your member of Congress and have him or her propose legislation that allows your state to retain some semblance of the Affordable Care Act. (Here’s a link to find your congressional rep.) If you can delete Uber because the CEO is a Trump supporter, then you can donate to the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a local politician, a Black Lives Matter branch or an independent news site.
In other words, it is well within your power to be that man or woman you said you would have been in high school. The one who would smack Massa upside his head and run to freedom like Noah on Underground. The one who would’ve come to the door strapped and chased off the Ku Klux Klan if they tried to take your farm. The one who wouldn’t have just sat in the white section of the Montgomery, Ala., bus but would have gone all Rick James on the back seat of the white people in front of you.
In other words, are you tougher than a 10th-grader? Are you the person you said you would be in the face of oppression? Class is starting, and you have four to eight years to earn your grade.
This article originally appeared online at The Root.
Super Bowl XLVI and Black History Month: Top 6 Super Bowls to Remember
There has always been an intimate if not tortured relationship between African Americans and American sports. On the one hand stereotypes and economic oppression have often led to African Americans believing that professional sports were the best or only option to financial success. On the other hand athletic success has given many African Americans a stage to speak out against institutional racism, as well as blaze a path for many other African Americans both within and outside of sports.
Nowhere are these two concepts on more obvious display than in the Super Bowl, the single largest annual sporting event in America. From the players on the field to the coaches and executives behind the scenes, the Super Bowl has really become an interesting measuring stick for the progress of Black Americans over the years. This is made all the more significant by the fact that due to schedule changes the big game has occurred during Black History Month for the last decade. So in honor of the month, and the impending destruction of the New York Giants at the hand of the Patriots (sorry had to throw that in) we present the Top 6 Most Important Super Bowls in Black History Month.
Super Bowl XXXVI (36) New England Patriots over St. Louis Rams 20-17, Feburary 3rd 2002
This Super Bowl began the long and storied run of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s football empire of the Patriots, but it was also the start of some truly significant advancements for African Americans in the world of NFL coaching. Romeo Crennel, the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots and Lovie Smith the Defensive Coordinator for the St. Louis Rams were both hired as head coaches within a few years after this Super Bowl. More importantly Super Bowl 36 was the first time in Super Bowl / Black History month history that two teams were led by African American defensive coordinators. While Crennel’s Patriots got the best of Lovie’s Rams in the game, Lovie got the last laugh. He was named head coach of the Chicago Bears in 2004 and has led that team to a Super Bowl and an NFC Championship game while Romeo has coached the lousy Cleveland Browns and now Kansas City Chiefs.
Super Bowl XXXVIII (38) New England Patriots over the Carolina Panthers (32 – 29) Feburary 1st 2004
You can pretty much forget about the actual GAME between the Pats and the Panthers, it was fairly boring until the second half. Perhaps the second half play was inspired by what turned out to be the sauciest, most infamous half-time show in Super Bowl/Black History month history. Yes, this was the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake Super Bowl which sparked federal-level controversy and a great deal of discussion, hand-wringing and finger pointing in Black intellectucal circles. Unless you were hiding in a hole with Saddam Hussein at the time, you probably heard that the two pop stars performed the hit song “Rock Your Body” during the Super Bowl halftime show. The song ends with the lyric “Imma have you naked by the end of this song” and right on cue Justin tears off part of Janet’s top (5:20 mark) revealing her right breast to millions of fans across the world.
Thousands of people called the FCC to complain, it was the most TIVO’d moment in the history of television and the anger on the part of the NFL and some fans was so loud and intense that Justin and Janet immediately went into spin mode. Nobody bought their story that it was a ‘wardrobe malfunction’, but even if it was, African American cultural critics were still justifiably furious. The fact that Janet Jackson, a Black woman with a long and globally successful career as a clean pop icon, was blamed in the press for the incident more than Justin Timberlake, who had actually TORN off her top (intentionally or not) was a jarring reminder of the pervasiveness of racist stereotypes about Black women that no amount of hit albums or charity work could counter. It wasn’t helped by the fact that Justin had been playing up his street cred and jungle fever rep with Janet for almost a year, then completely hung her out to dry in the press, claiming that he was ‘appalled by what happened’ but taking no responsibility. Janet took the fall, covered for Justin and 8 years later he’s still a star and Janet is doing Nutrisystem commercials. If this had occurred in reverse, and let’s say Usher had torn off Madonna’s top, he’d have been branded a rapist and they probably would have strung him up on stage.
Super Bowl XXXVIIII (39) New England Patriots over Philadelphia Eagles (24- 21) February 6th, 2005
This was a particularly painful Super Bowl for me, since I’m an Eagles fan and Donovan McNabb is my favorite player, but I can objectively say that as a Black history month Super Bowl it was pretty impressive. First, Donovan McNabb is only the 3rd African American quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, and despite inept coaching by Andy Reid, a swiss cheese offensive line, no running game and his own famous time gobbling screw up in the 4th quarter he did make some history. McNabb finished the game with 30 completions for 357 yards the third most in Super Bowl History (at the time) in both categories. Moreover Super Bowl 39 remains the only Super Bowl in history to be tied at both half-time and the start of the 4th quarter.
An entire treatise can be written about Donovan McNabb and his role as a prism through which race in America can be viewed. His strength in the face of a notoriously hostile and occasionally racist Philadelphia fan base and media, being attacked by Rush Limbaugh, and being embroiled in a disgusting “Good Black vs. Bad Black” battle with the coonish and easily manipulated Terrell Owens all come to mind. But in the end, this game was the career peak of perhaps the most successful African American quarterback in NFL history and he played Tom Brady and the Patriots closer than anyone else, and for that he deserves some credit.
Super Bowl XLI (41) Indianapolis Colts over Chicago Bears (29-17) Feburary 4th, 2007
The Black History month significance of this Super Bowl is obvious, Tony Dungy leading the Colts and Lovie Smith leading the Bears it was the first time in the history of the NFL that two Black Coaches met in a Super Bowl. In fact, it was the first time in NFL history that ANY Black coach had taken their team to a Super Bowl. More importantly after the Colts won, Tony Dungy became the first African American coach to win a Super Bowl, and finally bring credibility to a previously underachieving Peyton Manning.
There was a deeper meaning to this victory though for African Americans: Lovie Smith was a coach off of Dungy’s ‘coaching tree’ just a few years earlier, and the idea of these two men meeting in the Super Bowl after a relatively short time in head coaching helped cement the value of the Rooney Rule, which required NFL teams to interview minority head coaching candidates whenever there was a vacancy.
Super Bowl XLII (42) New York Giants over New England Patriots (17 – 14) Feburary 3rd 2008
One of the best things about the NFL in regards to Black History is the fact that the game showcases the skills and advancements both on and off the field. This Super Bowl was a classic example. Despite two of the ‘Whitest’ teams in the Super Bowl Black History Month era, two African American men played historic roles in the game. First you had Mike Carey, the first African American referee to be in a Super Bowl. Carey was ranked #2 on a recent ESPN list of best refs in the league (no small feat) and perhaps more importantly (or painfully depending on who you root for) Carey was credited with one of the most important “no-calls” in Super Bowl History. Rather than anticipate a sack, Carey allowed play to continue on the infamous 4th quarter drive where Eli Manning did THIS, and beat the Patriots in the biggest upset since the Pats beat the Rams in 2002. It still pains me to write that. Second, behind the scenes you had Jerry Reese, General manager of the New York Giants and only the 3rd African American general manager in NFL history, who of course became the first Black GM to win a Super Bowl with this victory and with today’s game against the Pats he becomes one of the few GMs of any color in the NFL to take their team to the Super Bowl twice.
Super Bowl XLIII (43) Pittsburgh Steelers over Arizona Cardinals (27-23) Februbary 1st 2009
Super Bowl 43 probably had the best ending in Super Bowl History, as well as some seminal Black history to enjoy. It was the first time in history that a former cast member from “House” coached a team to a Super Bowl victory. In winning that Super Bowl Mike Tomlin became the youngest head coach EVER to win a Super Bowl. He remains the fourth youngest coach in any of the four major American sports, and with his second Super Bowl appearance (even though it was a loss) to the Green Bay Packers Tomlin is all but assured a very long tenure in Pittsburgh, ironically the team that invented the Rooney Rule.
So while you load up on pizza and soda for the kick-off this Sunday there is no need to feel any cultural guilt. The Super Bowl is a wonderful way to celebrate Black History month. If it makes you feel more militant you can think about the fact that you’re watching a sport where the majority Black labor force was locked-out into submission last fall. Of course I won’t let that ruin my popcorn throwing and pizza eating!
This article originally appeared online at Politic365.com.
British Black History Month Scaled Back by Budget Cuts
October is Black History month in England (Who Knew?); but all is not right in the island nation recovering from a summer of riots and strict government austerity measures. According to London’s Voice magazine, government cut backs have severely scaled back many of the standard activities and programs across the nation during Black history month. African Drum ensembles and plays are being replaced with simple reading programs. Month long activities are being scaled back to Saturday afternoon programs in public libraries.
These cuts first made headlines last year as “Africa Day” in London was completely defunded in favor of, believe it or not, “USA Day”, a celebration of the United States intended to attract American tourists to the city for the annual London NFL game. However, in the aftermath of a summer full of riots, many of which at least started within mostly poor and minority areas in major cities across the U.K., the idea of cutting funding that engages and acknowledges the nation’s diverse past, present and future, seems like a particularly foolish idea. But, maybe London’s conservative Mayor Boris Johnson got something out of his slash and burn anti-multiculturalism tactics – the NFL wants to add more U.K. games in the coming year. I guess to the British figure it’s more fun to ship some Blacks over from the U.S. that you can send home after 3 hours than acknowledge the needs and culture of Black folks who already live there.
This article originally appeared on Politic365.com.
