"Hey, you boys play ball?"
It rolled off her Alabama tongue almost as easy as "War Eagle," the battle cry of her favorite team, the reigning national champion Auburn Tigers. That question interrupted a debate in the lobby of the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis between Chester Pitts, player and leader on the Seattle Seahawks, a pair of sports lawyers and me, about the expectations of a student-athlete. Chester and I replied, "Yes" and made room for her and her friend to join our discussion.
Aside from calling two adult men "boys," she said something else during the course of our conversation that gave me pause. Quickly after proclaiming Remember the Titans -- a movie starring Denzel Washington about the integrations of a Virginia high school played on the backdrop of a memorable football season -- the best movie she had ever seen, she proudly proclaimed: "My sons don't even know what segregation is."
I realized this woman from Alabama thought she was doing the socially responsible thing by not exposing her young sons to the more tragic features of American history. I imagine that she viewed herself as less prejudiced than her parents, and her parents as less prejudiced than her grandparents and so on, that this march toward tolerance was sustained by moving on from past transgressions by "forgetting" them altogether.
I became a first-time parent three months ago, so I am very careful about not passing judgment on other parents, but I think this way of teaching our children about history is troubling.
Too often, our society tries to forget history -- from omitting references to slavery when Congress read the Constitution at the start of this session to eliminating the word "nigger" from Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Not only does revising history ignore the progress for which so many have fought, it also impedes us from reaching our proper destination in the future. If we as a society cover our eyes and walk, we are more likely to end up lost than arrive safely where we want to be as a nation.
In our current moment, especially with the election of President Obama, a lot of people have been excited about the possibility of a "post-racial" moment. This phrase means all sorts of things to different people, but where it means that we should turn our backs on the past as if it never happened, we will surely do ourselves a great harm. Not only will we lose the ability to explain the origins and character of our contemporary social problems, but we will also undermine the power of many great examples in our nation's history that can continue to inspire us personally and politically.
This notion reminds me of a piece from my collection of civil rights artifacts. It is a letter written and signed by Malcolm X, historically one of the world's most complex, fascinating and impressive men. The letter is a reply to a note from a woman that implores her to recognize that in the same way the experiences of a young individual shape and define the adult he or she becomes, our country's history defines who we are as a culture today. This is especially true where complicated social issues like race are concerned.
I began collecting civil rights-era artifacts as a tangible manifestation of the inspiration and guidance I draw from the commitment and sacrifice of some of the noblest Americans in our history. I draw from the sacrificial and compassionate spirit of that period in my own work off the football field with a non-profit youth program I developed in my hometown of Baltimore, Baltimore BORN (www.baltimoreborn.org), which addresses the plight of young men in my city and helps them to develop the reading, writing and decision-making skills they will need to fulfill their dreams.
I also draw from the spirit of fairness and a healthy respect for the unifying powers of sport with my work in the NFL Players Association to help the NFL and NFLPA avoid a fast approaching and very dangerous lockout.
I know I am not alone in remembering the lessons of history and its pioneers and allowing them to shape my heart and mind, but I also know that the woman who approached me in Indianapolis is not unique either. I understand her fears and I share her horror at the mistakes of the past, but I cannot share her approach. James Baldwin once wrote: "To accept one's past -- one's history -- is not the same thing as drowning in it; it is learning how to use it. An invented past can never be used; it cracks and crumbles under the pressures of life like clay in a season of drought."
Black History Month is an important opportunity to accept our past, and more importantly, to learn to use it -- as warning, as inspiration, as knowledge -- to walk toward our future together, with our eyes wide open.
Domonique Foxworth, a cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens, is a respected leader and was elected by his peers to serve on the NFL Players Association's Executive Committee. In this guest column, he shares his thoughts about what Black History Month means to him and describes lessons he's learned through life experiences on and off the field.
Advocate to get the NFL to join FIFA's campaign against RACISM.
THEN I may rejoin the other fans to support NFL.
Right now, with a few exceptions, all I see are a lot of prima donnas, with a lot of money, engaged in a lot of self indulgence.
Too many Americans, regardless of race, are uncomfortable with discussing anything that does not smack of American exceptionalism. American exceptionalism has helped to "dumb down" this country by burying our heads in the sand. It only serves as lies, as if someone how we are so perfect that we cannot and have not ever made mistakes. You don't grow as a person, or a country, if you think there is no room for improvement. We have to move beyond that, it is not unpatriotic to question the policies and history of this country. As a matter of fact, I argue that I love my country MORE than the American exceptionalists.....because I acknowledge our faults and continue to work for betterment.
Good luck on the negotiations, many of us support the players unequivocally.
Reparations are out of the question. Too many years have passed. But intelligent policies; supportive social structures--these matter.
And the greatest lesson to learn, but which we never seem able to learn: Never Do It Again.
All humans are inept when it comes to learning from the past and then correcting their future behavior.
Look at Viet Nam. And now, Iraq. Wasn't supposed to happen, was it.
Laudable sentiment. Unfortunately the 'take America back' movement in this country views Black History Month as a 'dire' warning and takes the knowledge and uses it for a type of 'inspiration' that is opposite what the author is hoping. The USA is infatuated with a delusional nostalgia that goes beyond idolatry.
This is a poignant article about the perils found in losing sight of history, and the importance of recognizing the path to progress. With respect to race in America, that path is incredibly instructive.
I would only take issue with his use of the word "tolerance". Tolerance inherently suggests some withstanding of negative qualities. I prefer coexistence - that we all find ourselves on the same plane, and that no single characteristic defines us more than the essential one which unites us all - humanity.
I never have to worry about whether I will be accepted into a group or not depending on if they've fulfilled their white girl quota already, if the buzzer goes off exiting the store I know the security officer will kindly let me go giving me the benefit of the doubt. When I get pulled over driving drunk with no license, insurance, car totaled, lights not working properly...I know I will get off with a warning (true story).
The truth is that there is really nothing white people can do beyond training ourselves to trust. We need to correct our prejudices, catch ourselves in the act and ask ourselves why we think that dark skinned man coming over to talk to us is a threat. Don't lock your door. YOU smile first. You'll be surprised who will smile back at you.
Let us restrain ourselves from judging harshly as this newly revitalized culture of Americans redefines themselves as intelligent, competent, and ambitious leaders. Support affirmative action. Same goes for gays. Practice compassion. Love is always the right reaction
p.s. I refuse to respond to the rest of your comment, seeing as how it had zero to do with my points.