Gazing upon our world...
***I was deeply saddened to learn yesterday that the legendary Bill Russell, a Boston Celtics great as a player, coach, and humanitarian, had passed away at the age of 88.
In the days before smart phones with cameras that allow for instant selfies, I spent about maybe five awe inspiring minutes talking to Bill Russell in Orlando, Florida—sans photo—back in the early Aughts; it was a highlight to exchange the Kappa grip with him and tell him how much his civil rights advocacy had inspired me!
In the wake of his death yesterday, my good friend and Kappa Alpha Psi Grand Historian Kevin Scott of Chicago wrote: "Bill Russell joined the Boston Celtics nearly 10 years after Jackie Robinson integrated baseball and six seasons after Earl Lloyd did the same for the NBA…(Russell) went on to lead the American Olympic Team to win an undefeated gold medal, winning by an average of just over 50 points per game in 1956. Russell played center from 1956 to 1969, also serving as player-coach for three seasons. During that 13-year period, the Celtics won 11 NBA titles...Russell never won a Finals MVP award himself, for the simple reason that the award wasn’t invented until his final season. The league honored him at the All-Star Game in 2009 by adding his name to the trophy...”
May Brother Russell rest in peace along "those Golden Shores" with Elder Watson Diggs, Wilt Chamberlain, Gale Sayers, and the other Kappa legends who have passed on to eternity...
***Less than an hour after I learned of Bill Russell's death, I learned that the talented and beautiful acting icon Nichelle Nichols had passed into eternity, too, at the age of 89.
Nichols made television history in the 1960’s when she was cast on "Star Trek" to play Lieutenant Nyota Uhura. Prior to her casting, Blacks were still largely relegated to stereotypical roles as maids and buffoons on television, but Nichols shattered this glass ceiling as she joined William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk), the late Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock), and the late DeForest Kelly (Dr. McCoy) as lead officers on the fictional U.S.S. Enterprise starship.
Nichols took her share of racist criticism and almost quit the show due to the harsh backlash, especially after she and Shatner shared an on-screen kiss. But a chance meeting with none other than Dr. Martin Luther King at an NAACP fundraiser changed her mind; King informed Nichols that he was a fan of the show, as she recounted him saying: "Don't you realize how important your presence, your character is? This is not a black role or a female role. You have the first nonstereotypical role on television. You have broken ground'... 'Here we are marching, and there you are projecting where we're going. You cannot leave [the show]. Don't you understand what you mean?'"
Well, Ms. Nichols took Dr. King's advice and chose to stay on the show AND by so doing, served as a role model to millions of Americans, including a future Black astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison!
Rest in peace, Ms. Nichols!
*** This past weekend, I learned that while Terica Williams, 24, chose to celebrate her master's degree by taking a nude photo in front of the iconic Florida A&M University snake—and went viral for her "exposure”— that Damilola E. Ologunagba, a 25-year-old woman who graduated with a PhD in physics from Florida A&M, earned her monumental distinction with minimal fanfare.
Terica Williams, 24, from her graduation photo spread at Florida A&M University.
Newly minted Dr. Damilola E. Ologunagba, 25, from her graduation photo spread at Florida A&M University…
I have always prided myself as a supporter of feminism, and while that word means different things to different people, decorum prevents me from posting an uncensored version of Ms. Williams's nude photo. And yet, the Blogger in me remains fascinated by the reality that her nude picture and story have been viewed by millions of people worldwide, while the cap and gown photo of Dr. Damilola E. Ologunagba has languished in relative obscurity.
Now, I realize that from antiquity to today, in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas, that the nude form has held intrigue among artists, sculptors, and all who who enjoy art. I get that.
But there's also a part of me which realizes that there's a time, a place, and context for everything and in a society in which women, especially Black women, struggle with sexual harassment and condescendingly racist bigotry, that the viral nude photo of the young budding educator is already drawing comments that objectify her body by reducing her to ribald rhetoric—and could thwart her career before it ever gets started—touches a nerve in many.
Trust, I know that we are in the social media age and that there are people getting rich and famous simply for "going viral." I also know that there are many young men and women who dream of being the next "Kim Kardashian," one who parlayed a grainy sex tape with her ex-boyfriend Ray-J into billionaire status from her other businesses that were made possible due to her “celebrity.”
And yet, there's a part of me that knows how extremely rare that it is for a Black woman to hold a PhD in physics—especially at the age of 25—but the social media world seems more interested in discussing the "ass-ets" of her graduating classmate, than the academic achievements of BOTH women.
For those willing, drop a comment or an e-mail and let Ol' Hobbs know your thoughts about this sub-thread…
***Earlier today, the NFL announced that Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, formerly of the Houston Texans, will serve a six game suspension for violating its personal conduct policy following accusations of sexual misconduct made by two dozen women in Texas.
When I first learned of the suspension I immediately thought that six games seemed low for the alleged misconduct. As I pondered that thought, I read comments from Sue Robinson, the NFL's disciplinary officer, who said Watson's conduct "does not fall into the category of violent conduct that would require the minimum 6-game suspension," which the league had established as "by far the most commonly-imposed discipline for domestic or gendered violence and sexual acts."
In light of that reasoning, I better understand the discipline in that Watson has not been charged with forcible rape in any jurisdiction. Still, the skeptic in me wonders whether it would have made a difference if he had been charged when considering that former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Rothlisberger was accused of forcible rape and served round 'bout the same amount of suspension time.
Honestly, I chuckled when I read that Robinson is now required to "to limit his massage therapy to (Cleveland Browns) directed sessions and Club-approved massage therapists for the duration of his career," because how on Earth will they be able to monitor that? I mean, men have joked for years that "prostitution is the world's oldest profession," and the simple truth is that many massage parlors and "professional" therapists provide sexual favors for pay; lest we forget that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was charged with solicitation of prostitution a few years back for participating in the same conduct (albeit fewer in number) as Watson.
Still, here's hoping that Watson realizes that he dodged a major bullet here and will get whatever help he needs to curb his rapacious appetite that has been exonerated of rape in the recent past, but may not be exonerated if it happens again in the future.
Future Spelmanite
Actress Angelina Jolie announced on Sunday that her daughter, Zahara Jolie-Pitt (front-white t-shirt), adopted during her marriage to Brad Pitt, will be attending Spelman College, the #1 ranked HBCU according to U.S. News & World Report for the past 15 years.
Welcome to the "SpelHouse" and Atlanta University Center (AUC) families, Miss Jolie-Pitt!
The young lady accomplished what she set out to do - cause a reaction and blow her social media up.
Rest in Power, Mr. Bill Russell. The GOAT of the NBA. No one matches him, but close 2nd is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. PERIOD.
Yeah i gotta agree with your take on the graduation "spread." It seems like attention is the most important thing here and there's nothing like flesh to get attention 🙄