Ol' Hobbs' Friday Flashpoints!

From this day forward, the “Friday Flashpoints” will honor one of my favorite columnists while growing up reading the Tallahassee Democrat, the late Gerald “Perk” Ensley, who died in 2018 at the age of 66 and before his passing, became a mentor and friend who would provide feedback about my own op/ed's from time to time.

Gerald Ensley

At least once per week, “Perk” would pen a column where he gave short opinions on multiple topics, columns that would always begin with the phrase “Nobody asked me, but!”

Thus, in homage, “Nobody asked me, but:”

***For the remainder of the Summer Olympic Games, I will no longer wade into the comments sections of ESPN or any other major news site because I've come to conclude that I cannot reason with, tell off, cuss out, or scrap with the tens of thousands of people who have uttered the most racist and vile comments about Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from competition. The vitriolic comments are still coming even after Sunisa Lee spectacularly won the Gold Medal that many believed was Biles’ for the taking had she not experienced the “Twisties” mid-air and later bowed out to protect her physical and mental health. Because Momma Hobbs, her and my late father's dear friend (and my mentor), AME Bishop Emeritus A.J. Richardson, and my own pastor and friend, Rev. Julius McAllister, are all faithful readers and financial supporters of the Hobbservation Point, I shan't repost some of the more colorful language that I used to defend Biles among the social media trolls. But suffice it to say that 156 years after slavery ended in the United States, there are still some white folks who think that their racist opinions about Black lives, Black achievement, or individual Black decisions really matter to Black people writ large; news flash for the descendants of Confederate Ken, Overseer Bob, and Missy Karen—your opinions don't matter!

***So, I grew up a mommas boy and with three older sisters and while I definitely inherited a very rough and tumble side from a tough as nails father, I have a sensitive side that is typical of boys who grew into men while listening to their sisters and their friends discuss love, relationships, and even heart break—all before I turned 12 years old. So much so that two of my oldest friends from Tallahassee and fellow Morehouse Men, Kenny Taite and Richard Alan, jokingly referred to me as “Oprah Winfrey” during our school days due to my listening ear and advice giving bent 😆. Thus, the smile that cracked my usual mean mug when I read the Instagram post of Simone Biles’ fiancee, Houston Texans safety Jonathan Owens, who vowed: “Imma ride with you through whatever.” Now, for the modern slang uninitiated, Owens is promising Biles that he will be with her through the harsh blowback she is receiving in the court of public opinion—an honorable position from a young man who clearly was raised right and is showing love and support for his true love during this rough patch.

Jonathan Owens with Gymnastics great Simone Biles

Kudos, young man!

***I applaud President Joe Biden, corporate leaders across America, and closer to home, Leon County Administrator Vince Long for mandating that employees either show proof of having taken the Covid-19 vaccine—or find employment elsewhere.

Troglodytes unite!

The time for talking is long over and while the “my body, my rights” types have every right to not take the shot, they do not have every right to stay employed. Ergo, folks will comply and get the shot—or find themselves in the unemployment line…period!

***Kudos, too, to one of my oldest friends and another faithful reader and supporter of the Hobbservation Point, Leon County School Board Vice-Chair Daryl Jones, who earlier this week pushed back against those in Tallahassee who wish to see mask requirements ended in local public schools. Jones represents my native Southside and as is the case in many cities, Tallahassee Southside is overwhelmingly Black.

Said Jones, “I remain convinced that mask wearing and vaccination is critical for the safe re-opening of schools. For most, the opposition is born of privilege and an unwillingness to do the right thing for our common good. It is a false narrative to describe mask wearing as a hardship for most. As a District we must cater to the vulnerable and ensure that our teachers can teach all of our students, regardless of their health conditions in optimal and safe environments. All of my kids deserve to come back to school.”

Indeed and agreed, Vice-Chair Jones!

***Three weeks after the dastardly assassination of Haiti's former President Jonviel Moise, his wife Martine, also shot in the attack and who survived only by playing dead as her husband's lifeless body bled out all over her injured body, is seeking answers about who is responsible.

So far, authorities in Haiti have detained 18 Colombians and several Haitians and Haitian Americans, but a motive or true culprit has yet to emerge. While First Lady Moise continues to urge American authorities to dig deeper and assist Haitian Police, there's something deep down in Ol’ Hobbs’ soul that fears that she my be inviting a group of foxes to investigate the raid of the henhouse—stay tuned!

***Count me among those who believe that having NFL Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Eddie George coaching Jackson State University and Tennessee State University, respectively, will be a net positive for those two legendary football programs. The buzz surrounding their arrivals has already led to Jackson State having the top recruiting class in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), and Tennessee State has picked up a number of top transfers this off-season as well.

Coach Sanders, if nothing else, knows how to generate “Neon” news headlines and his latest Tweet to the Big 12, a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference that may soon lose the University of Oklahoma and University of Texas to the SEC, saying that “they need to talk,” means that perhaps the Big 12 will consider adding Jackson State and other HBCUs?

Could the Big 12 include HBCUs soon?

As is typical these days, the meme above was soon generated and it imagines Jackson State, Florida A&M, Grambling, and Southern making the leap to college football's biggest stage. While intriguing, I am not sure whether the Big 12 will have any interest in HBCUs that would have to take on a significant financial burden to make the leap to college football's biggest stage. Nevertheless, I have often imagined what the sport would have looked like had, say, the SEC tapped FAMU, TSU, Jackson, Grambling, and Southern in the late 60s and early 70s when each would have beaten the brakes off of the all white teams during the early days of integration? Who knows, but what we do know is that in the 50 plus years since, HBCUs are at a financial disadvantage at this point—one that could be overcome, but at great costs.

While I understand the “why” for Coach Sanders’ Tweet, I personally am opposed to such a move because I see great potential in the new SWAC conference, one that has added FAMU and Bethune Cookman and in the coming years, may add South Carolina State, North Carolina A&T, Norfolk State and perhaps Tennessee State. With so much recent focus on Black kids returning to Black Colleges, and the emergence of media partners who also see this movement and potential, my thoughts are that just as Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton know their brand and never contemplate merging with other brands, HBCUs have POWERFUL brands, too, worthy of protection. As I reminded one idiotic troll on a Rivals network post recently that Jackson State has more NFL Hall of Famers (4) than Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss combined (2), a return to prominence can be had if HBCUs stay the course and build.

Now, whether Coach Sanders will stay the course or fly off to financially prime FBS pastures down the line remains to be seen, but in the grand scheme of things, I tip my virtual cap to “Prime” for doing all that he can right now to reignite the Black College brand worldwide!

***In my latest “Social Darwinism” spotlight, let us consider Samantha Dehring of Carol Stream, Ilinois, a woman who has been charged in U.S. District Court in Wyoming with violating closures and use limits; and feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentional disturbing of wildlife.

For your horror or humor, check out the short YouTube link below that shows Ms. Dehring daring to violate these bears circumference at Yellowstone National Park, as she almost loses way more than her freedom:

Lest she forgets…

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