Imitation of Life 2.0--the football edition
The Friday Flashpoints!
***Well, yesterday, I read (to my mild surprise) that after weeks of being criticized for the lack of diversity in its coaching ranks, that the NFL's Miami Dolphins’ new head coach, Michael McDaniel, is a Black man:
No surprise here; I have met and befriended Brothas and Sistas even more lighter complexioned than Coach McDaniel during my time at Morehouse College back in the day, so I am fully aware that Black people cover the entire color spectrum!
But to me, what has always determined blackness is the mindset and choice of the lighter skinned Brotha or Sista; simply put, if you say you're Black, then you're Black to me. If you say you're biracial, then you're biracial to me. If you say you're Cablasian, as Tiger Woods always said, then you're Cablasian to me. And, if you say you're just a human, then human it is to me!
Ol' Hobbs, however, is not the norm in American society, as the entire construct of race as we know it was designed years ago by Europeans (and their American descendants) to make everyone who isn't pale with blonde hair and light blue eyes some type of "other." Which basically means that what an individual calls themselves ain't what they are called in both polite and impertinent society.
Thus, it seems to me that Coach McDaniel has chosen the "passe blanc" box, or "passing" option, most of his life. Which, again, is his prerogative; during a news conference yesterday, McDaniel said, "It’s been very odd, to tell you the truth. This idea of ‘identifying’ as something. I think people *identify me* as something but I identify as a human being. And my Dad’s black. So, whatever you want to call it...”
Yeah, gotcha coach, but I am here to remind that you are now in the Deep South, and as Miami has its own Jim Crow roots coupled with years of angst between the Black and Cuban communities dating back to at least the Mariel Boat Lift of 1980, do know, my Brotha McDaniel, that the "one drop" rule is still in effect and the minute you start losing games, well, let's just say that you will be reminded rather quickly which side of the racial tracks they consider you to be...
*** I read today where former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner (D) is launching a radio show with former New York City Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa that will be called “The Left vs. The Right." The program will be similar to the old "Crossfire" show on CNN that featured conservative vs. liberal politics being debated each day.
Honestly, I like the concept and miss the time when liberals and conservatives could discuss the issues of the day without wanting to choke each other out at the end of the program. But to do so requires two things that seem in short supply these days: 1. Mutual respect in tone, 2. Appreciation for what constitutes "fact" vs "opinion."
For example, the known facts are that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in both the popular vote and Electoral College vote in 2020. Now, folks are entitled to their opinion as to whether the country is better off now under Biden—or would have been better off under a second Trump term. But if you are a pundit in a debate and refuse to concede that Biden even won, well, there's no way to have a civil conversation on the merits of the two leaders, and it is quite likely that you also believe that the Earth is flat and that Jesus Christ looked like Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees.
***I stayed up late last night watching the ESPN "30 for 30" documentary "Ghosts of Ole Miss," one that chronicles the 1962 Ole Miss football team that finished undefeated—but did not win the white college national championship.
In October of that year, three days of rioting ensued at Ole Miss after James Meredith, a Black man, tried to enroll; several people were killed, millions of dollars in property was damaged, and America teetered on the verge of a second civil war after President John Kennedy sent the 82nd Airborne Division in to reinforce state National Guard units that were being trifled with by segregationist Governor Ross Barnett.
While I was not surprised, several of the Ole Miss players, now well into their late 70s and early 80s, admitted to participating in the riots, but now regret their decision. Others seem to regret that the customs of the Old Miss band wearing Confederate inspired uniforms while playing "Dixie," the school mascot "Colonel Reb," and the waving of Confederate Battle Flags in the stands have ended (or are in peril) at this presently integrated time.
But the historian in me, the one who was raised by a Florida A&M guard/linebacker named Charles Sr., one who played with legends like Bob Hayes, Curtis Miranda, Hewritt Dixon, David Daniels, John Glover, Bob Parramore, and Charlie Ward, Sr., wishes that the Rattlers from '61 and '62 could have lined up and kicked those racist Rebels asses all across any football stadium of their choosing.
Thus, my chuckle when the great Dan Rather, then a CBS correspondent that covered the '62 riots, opined at the end of the piece "The Ole Miss Rebels were the best college football team in America in 1962."
No sir, Mr. Rather, they were not; they weren't even the best team in the State of Mississippi, as the then Jackson State College Tigers, like the Rattlers, would have put up 40 or 50 points on the far less “agile,” “mobile,” and “hostile” Rebels, too...
Black History Hobbservation
34 years ago, then “Chuckie” Hobbs, a young assistant drum major, and the FAMU High School Marching Band traveled to New Orleans to participate in both the Hermes and Endymion Mardi Gras parades!
I will never forget how, when we got off the bus for the second parade, members of the Southern University Human Jukebox were walking by to lead off the parade; upon seeing me, one yelled out "yo, the (FAMU Marching)100rd done come to the Boot?" To which I shouted back, "Nawl, more like the FAMU High Marching 75" 😆
As I reminisced earlier on Facebook, if our assistant principal Mr. Harry Holt had his way, I would have had to sit that trip out with two of my best friends, the late Chris Henry (percussion section leader) and Terry Calloway (tuba section leader). Why? Well, around 11:00 that morning, we skipped school to pick up two new uniforms and equipment from Dr. Julian White, then serving as the Assistant Director of Bands for the "Incomparable" Marching 100, which was followed by a trek to Roger Nelson's Music Store for some new reeds and drumsticks, lunch at Skinner's Fried Chicken and, finally, three haircuts at Trends Barber Shop. Those tasks kept us from campus from 11-3pm and when we arrived back on the yard, we were summoned to the office where Holt threatened to suspend us from school.
Fortunately for us, our mothers would hear nothing of it; I can still hear my momma telling Holt on the phone "I gave MY son permission to get his haircut and to pick up his uniform and equipment today, and YOU are not going to suspend him."
And so it was, I wasn't suspended...we weren't suspended...and we were fortunate to travel and enjoy ourselves in "The Big Easy" for the next four days.
Kudos to our old band director, Dr. Arnett Moore, and all of the Band Parents who raised money, chaperoned, and ensured that we had such a rich cultural experience!
Black College Feature
This Black History Month, each day I will feature one of America's top HBCUs.
Next up: Fisk University
Founded: The American Civil War ended in April of 1865, and the following October in Nashville, Tennessee, John Ogden, Reverend Erastus Milo Cravath, and Reverend Edward P. Smith—sponsored by the American Missionary Society (later United Church of Christ)—established the Fisk School in Nashville.
Named for General Clinton B. Fisk of the Tennessee Freedmen's Bureau, the school initially held classes in former Union Army barracks near the present site of Nashville's Union Station. The first classes—filled with the formerly enslaved ranging in ages from seven to 70, held its first classes on January 9, 1866.
In October of 1871, a group of students formed what would become the world renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers. Before decade's end, the troupe had become one of the leading fund-raising arms of the school—mesmerizing audiences in America and in Great Britain, where they performed for Queen Victoria.
Motto: "Her sons and daughters are ever at the altar"
Colors: Blue and Gold
Mascot: Bulldogs
Academics: In the earliest days of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), while many of Fisk's fellow Black Colleges focused on agricultural and industrial education, Fisk stood out for its academic rigors in the liberal arts. In 1930, Fisk earned the distinction of becoming the first HBCU to gain accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In 1933, the University became the first HBCU to gain membership in the Association of American Universities, and in 1953, Fisk became the first HBCU to gain a charter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society (later joined by Howard University, Morehouse College and Spelman College).
Today, Fisk offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in approximately 20 disciplines, and is consistently ranked by US News & World Report among the Top 10 HBCUs
Athletics: Fisk belongs to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I, and is a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
Famous Alumni/Figures: Sociologist, writer and NAACP luminary, Dr. W.E.B. DuBois; journalist and anti-lynching crusader Ida B. Wells-Barnett, civil rights advocate, lawyer and Judge Constance Baker Motley, civil rights legend Diane Nash, civil rights legend and US Rep. John Lewis; sociologist and Fisk's first Black President, Dr. Charles Spurgeon Johnson; historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, historian and Pulitzer Prize winner David Leavering Lewis; poet Nikki Giovanni; former Clinton Secretary of Energy Hazel O'leary, US Rep. Fredericka Wilson; Grammy winning gospel music artist Mandisa, entertainment manager Matthew Knowles (father of Beyonce and Solange), Fisk faculty/staff members Arna Bontemps and James Weldon Johnson.
Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a wonderful weekend!
“…it is quite likely that you also believe that the Earth is flat and that Jesus Christ looked like Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees.”
🤣🤣🤣
And Coach McDaniel just seems so goofy.
Great stuff.