First off folks, I really do get a kick out of doing our weekly broadcasts but if it's a matter of time constraints or if I feel the quality of the show will be hindered then rest assured I will always take a break and then regroup. That was the case this evening. I was working behind the scenes to get some interviews lined up so I had to opt out this evening. Once again, I conferred with Mr. Shane Johnson and we should be good to go for an interview this Sunday at 8pm-so stay tuned. Now on to matters that are somehow tangentially related. I have received numerous emails regarding sports columnist, Jason Whitlock's recent remarks (more specifically, his column from yesterday) regarding the untimely death of Washington Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor. In my estimation, Mr. Whitlock's (hell, if you haven't guessed I'm definitely a supporter) comments couldn't have been anymore poignant, concise and prescient. But what disturbs me the most are the emails I received that didn't like what Whitlock stated. I'm really beginning to understand what Charlton Heston's character felt like in the above clip. Let me share with the class an example of one of the emails in question:
Email Heading-
The Black KKK-What are we going to do about Jason Whitlock?
Come on now, someone should say something from a Black perspective.
If Don Imus can be run off the television screens of America, if not the radio, someone should call Jason Whitlock to account. Yesterday on Fox Sports, for whom he is a columnist, characterized those who represent as a class the brothers who presumably shot Washington linebacker Sean Taylor, as the Black KKK.
Personally I find that far more dangerous than the Imus account. This encourages every white man and woman in america to carry a gun and open fire on us all! The Black Caucus, if only they were up to it, should call Fox and that fascist jerk who lives in New York and owns Fox, on the carpet and answer to some form of accountability.
Wow! Several questions come to mind. What exactly must be done with or to Jason Whitlock? Why is he being compared to Imus? And why aren't Whitlock's comments Black? Folks, it's time for honest talk. Matter of fact-it's emergency time for transparency in Black public discourse. Let's take a look at an excerpt from Whitlock's column and flesh it out thereafter:
There's a reason I call them the Black KKK. The pain, the fear and the destruction are all the same.
Someone who loved Sean Taylor is crying right now. The life they knew has been destroyed, an 18-month-old baby lost her father, and, if you're a black man living in America, you've been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death.
The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time.
No, we don't know for certain the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. I could very well be proven wrong for engaging in this sort of aggressive speculation. But it's no different than if you saw a fat man fall to the ground clutching his chest. You'd assume a heart attack, and you'd know, no matter the cause, the man needed to lose weight.
Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there's every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That's not some negative, unfair stereotype. It's a reality we've been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.
When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions.
OK. Who are these people that have a problem with Whitlock's remarks? What is it that he is saying that is not factual? We will definitely discuss this and other related issues during this Sunday's broadcast. It's time to bring back the honesty people because our young Black/Brown men are paying the price for our feigned indignation-shout out to the excuse merchants! For the article in its entirety, click on the link below:
Taylor's death a grim reminder for us all
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