“It breaks my heart that my kids are being taught that skin color matters,” said Michele Tafoya.
Surely, she can’t be serious.
Tafoya, who recently retired as a sportscaster, is too old to be that naive and too smart to be that ignorant. But that’s what she said on a recent installment of Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program, embarking on her new gig as co-chair of a Minnesota Republican gubernatorial campaign.
If she thinks skin color doesn’t matter, here’s the natural follow-up question: Since when?
I presume her short answer would be since America passed laws banning racial discrimination, roughly six decades ago. There’s no way to argue that skin color was inconsequential during slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow, although Tafoya pushes back on the latter two periods.
During an appearance on “The View” last year, she said white people have been fighting for racial equality “since the Civil War.”
To folks like her and Carlson, we spend too much time on history and not enough on the present, where Black people sit up front on buses, eat lunch at any deli counter and even land high-paying jobs. She told Carlson that we should appreciate “the progress that we’ve made in this country” instead of “looking in the rearview mirror.”
Unfortunately, we don’t have to look back far to see how skin color remains relevant.
When Professor Cindy Garnsey
began her career as a high school English teacher in the 1980s, computers were hardly
ubiquitous devices. Unless students were studying computer science, most rarely
came in contact with the machines.
But now, they’re part of our
everyday lives and Garnsey chairs the Howard Community College Office
Technology program. Computers and software have become so prevalent, the
department could be renamed Office/School/Home Technology. And the field continues
to grow.
“Technology waits for no one,”
Garnsey said recently on Dragon
Digital Radio. “They’re going to keep coming up with new
programs and keep doing all these new things. If we want to be included in
humanity at this period of time, we’re going to have to jump into the game. I
encourage you to do it sooner than later, and have some fun with it.”
The Office Technology program
offers more than 25 courses – some integrated into different HCC programs – whether
students are looking for career advancement, personal development, or both. Classes
are conducted virtually, face-to-face, and in hybrid formats. Through the
program’s open-entry learning format, students can take advantage of flexible
scheduling and one-on-one instruction, working at their own pace en route to earning
valuable Microsoft certifications and HCC letters of recognition.
“In the past, our main degree was called office assistant or administrative professional,” Garnsey says. “That’s a very important career field and I don’t want to diminish it. But the position has changed quite a bit over the last few years. Now, a lot of people in management no longer have that administrative assistant to help them; they’re required to do some of those tasks themselves – creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
History indeed can repeat itself. Lord knows we’re seeing that
again in Black America’s back-and-forth battle against racism.
But for all the pain and strife we’ve endured, we’ve also mastered
finding joy amidst sorrow while planting hope for tomorrow. Pick any field you
like – agriculture, business, science, communications, etc. – and you’ll find
examples of Black ingenuity dating to our arrival on these shores.
Fifty years ago on Feb. 5, the Basketball Hall of Fame
recognized as much when it welcomed Robert “Bob” Douglas, its first
Black honoree. Douglas was so cold as a coach and entrepreneur,
the team he founded beat him there by nine years, enshrined in 1963.
The New York Renaissance – aka the “Harlem Rens” and “New
York Rens” – were as formidable on the court as they were in the culture. They
provide a case study for what was possible under segregation (and what’s been lost
since integration), maneuvering through an openly hostile era with excellence,
paving the way for today’s predominantly Black NBA.
Ascending from the ranks of Black barnstorming teams that
were wildly popular as the Harlem Renaissance picked up steam, the Rens were
pioneers in every sense. They were formed in 1923 when
Douglas reached a deal with the newly opened Renaissance Ballroom and Casino in
Harlem. Douglas agreed to name his team after the ballroom, in exchange for playing
home games at the facility. In return, the ballroom owner received promotion all
over, which helped pack the premises for steamy post-game dances.
One year earlier, a couple of white sports promoters formed a Black team and reached a similar deal with another Harlem casino. They offered their players guaranteed, full-year contracts, making the Commonwealth Five the first fully professional Black basketball squad. When Douglas followed suit with the Rens, they became the first Black-owned pro hoops team. (The NBA and antecedent leagues didn’t have a Black-owned franchise until BET founder Robert Johnson purchased the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004).
The 15-year-old
Russian figure skater can compete in the Olympics after failing a drug test,
and the 21-year-old American sprinter is pissed off. Understandably so.
Sha’Carri Richardson isn’t
here for officials’ explanations, justifications, and rationalizations. The
bottom line is that Kamila Valievacan
pursue her dreams at the Beijing Olympics despite testing
positive for a banned substance (one considered a performance enhancer), while
Richardson’s dreams for last year’s Tokyo Olympics were canceled when she
tested positive for marijuana (which isn’t a performance enhancer).
Their respective eligibility status
led Richardson to compare the two cases and reach a familiar conclusion. “The
only difference I see is I’m a black young lady,” she
tweeted in response to the Court
of Arbitration for Sport ruling in Valieva’s favor.
Other distinctions exist but
it’s hard to blame Richardson for feeling that way. After all, Blacks ARE disproportionately
punished for weed.
According
to an ACLU study, Blacks are 3.64 times more likely than whites
to be arrested for possession, even though usage rates are virtually identical
across races. That’s true in states that have ended prohibition of marijuana
and worse in states that haven’t. Some still-criminalized states are arresting
Blacks for cannabis at almost 10 times the rate for whites.
Almost no one except Russians and the CAS panel of arbiters believe Valieva should be allowed to continue. The World Anti-Doping Agency said it’s “disappointed” by the decision to overturn Valieva’s suspension. The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee expressed similar sentiments. “This appears to be another chapter in the systematic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia,” CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.
Are you ready for some
football? From the league that just went 1-for-9 in hiring Black coaches for
top jobs?
If so, you’re ready for Super
Bowl Sunday, which has morphed into an unofficial holiday, with mounting calls
to make Monday an
actual day off. Cincinnati Public Schools went ahead and
cancelled classes for the day. Whether they revel after the Bengals play the
Los Angeles Rams, it’s a good bet that most everyone in “The Queen City” will
watch the game.
But for others, the league contains
too much distraction to focus on the action.
Former San Francisco QB Colin
Kaepernick and former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores aren’t the
only Black folks who have sacrificed and taken a stand. There are fans
(including personal acquaintances) who once loved to watch football but became disgusted
and quit when the NFL stiff-armed
Kaep.
Flores’ recent
lawsuit against the league merely strengthens their resolve. For
good measure, they can point to scandals involving Washington
ownerDan Snyder, former
Las Vegas coachJon Gruden, and the NFL’s racist
policy on concussions.
Cleary, it’s a league worthy
to be scorned.
Interestingly, despite the strict
partisanship fracturing this country, the NFL is a “both sides” offender. While
we argue that the efforts against racism and sexism aren’t enough, others contend
that the league has gone overboard. Cultural grievance is one area where the
NFL can boast about equal opportunity.
Just Google “woke NFL” and read the hilarious complaints from critics likening the league to radical leftists.
NFL commissioner Roger
Goodell is under contract for two more seasons, which would give him 17
years in office. If that’s the end, here’s a suggestion for his next move: a master
class on speaking while obviously saying nothing. The title?
“How to Keep Shoveling When Your
Audience Knows It’s BS.”
After so much time on the job,
Goodell has turned empty words into an art form. The latest gem was delivered Wednesday
during his annual
Super Bowl news conference. All parties knew beforehand that hiring
practices would be a hot topic in light of former Miami Dolphins coach Brian
Flores’ racial discrimination lawsuit. These would be the commish’s first
public remarks since the lawsuit was
filed Feb. 1, and he didn’t disappoint his bosses, the NFL owners.
Moments such as these explain Goodell’s
astronomical salary. He reportedly raked
nearly $130 million over the last two fiscal years combined. His
bag since taking office is estimated to be $375 million. In 2015, the last year
his pay was a matter of public record, ol’ boy pulled $32 million. Nice work if
you can get it.
The NFL brags about itself as “The
Shield,” a reference to the league’s logo.
In actuality, Goodell is the human
shield, placed in front of cowering owners to take fire aimed at them.
At this point, he doesn’t even need to prepare. He can simply review a compilation of his previous responses over the years when asked about Black coaches getting few shots at being head coaches. It was the first question at last year’s Super Bowl news conference and the first one this year.
In a speech to newspapers editors in 1925, President Calvin Coolidge uttered a now-famous line: “The business of America is business.”
Nearly 100 years later, Howard County College (HCC) offers esteemed programs that prepare students for the nation’s commerce.
As chair of HCC’s business program, Professor Linda Mercurio sees lots of students who remind her of herself at that age; they kind of know what they want to study, but they aren’t exactly sure. Likewise, she sees lots of students who come in with clear and focused goals.
Fortunately, there are pathways to success for each group.
“We have two degree programs and two certificate programs,” Mercurio says. “The degree programs are business administration, and general studies with a business emphasis. Both are fully transferable to four-year bachelor’s degree programs.”
It’s been two-and-a-half years
since your company Roc Nation partnered with the NFL to “amplify the league’s
social justice efforts,” according to the
press release. This is just a check-in to see how it’s
going.
Also wondering what you think
about former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL,
alleging a pattern of racist hiring practices and racial discrimination.
In
response, the league said “diversity is core to everything we do,”
and it vowed to “defend against these claims, which are without merit.” Do you
believe that? Takes some nerve to state they “continue to make progress in
providing equitable opportunities,” when there’s only one Black head coach (as of
Thursday) and white coaches have filled five of nine openings this cycle.
The Minnesota Vikings are
expected to make
it six by hiring Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin
O’Connell, but they can’t complete the deal until after the Super Bowl.
Guess the league wants us to
believe that the thrust of Flores’
complaint is purely coincidental. Sure, it’s mere happenstance that since
the
Rooney Rule was passed nearly 20 years ago, only 15 out of
roughly 130 head coaching positions have been filled by Black candidates. That
computes to 11% of such positions going to Black coaches … in a league that’s
70% black.
“This isn’t about me; this is bigger than football,” Flores said in an interview on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “This is about equal opportunity for qualified Black candidates, not just in football, but everywhere.”
In glaring ways, Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is too extreme to be representative of typical thought
patterns.
But his response to a question
on Tuesday illustrates the implicit basis weaved into this country’s fabric since
Betsy Ross grabbed her needle and thread. While fielding queries about President
Joe Biden’s impending Supreme Court nominee, McConnell was asked about the
makeup of his staff, specifically, how many Black women he employs.
“Actually, I haven’t checked,”
McConnell said. “We don’t have a racial quota in my office.”
He went on to say he’s had “a
number of African American employees, both male and female, over the years, in
all kinds of different positions, including speechwriter.”
Good for him.
The fact that “quota” leapt to mind is illuminating. Mandates are an instinctual explanation for some when brown faces are sprinkled in lily-white spaces. It can’t be that they’re brilliant and hard-working, educated and eminently qualified. No. Their presence must be the result of affirmative action, which surely robbed an innocent white person of a position they deserved.
When Biden vowed to nominate a
Black woman as Justice Stephen G. Breyer’s replacement, critics lost their
minds. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said it was “offensive” and “an insult to Black
women.” Georgetown Law administrator Ilya Shapiro asserted that the pick would
be a “lesser Black woman” and not the best jurist available. Sen. John Kennedy
(R-La.) said he wants “a nominee who knows a law book from a J.Crew catalog.”
Not sure where J.Crew ranks
among Black women’s favorite fashion brands. But Kennedy isn’t alone in his
assumption that Biden’s nominee won’t be qualified due to her race and gender.
Conversely, we’re conditioned to automatically assume men like Kennedy and Cruz
are capable and competent due to their skin, genitalia, and law degrees.
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