Jason Collins, "We've got your back"
Commentary by Black Kos Editor Denise Oliver Velez
Echoing the words of First Lady Michelle Obama:
President Obama called NBA player Jason Collins Monday to offer his support after Collins announced he's gay, becoming the first openly gay major league professional athlete, CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett has learned.
The president offered congratulations and support on Collins' courage and willingness to be the first in the four dominant pro sports to make this announcement.
First lady Michelle Obama also showed her support for Collins on Twitter Monday.
"So proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We've got your back!" she tweeted, signing it "-mo," which indicates she - not an aide - sent the message.
We've got your back Jason, and hope that your openness will give other men and women the courage to come out as well, when they feel comfortable to do it.
Growing up in a basketball crazy household and community in New York City, I've rubbed elbows with high school, college and NBA players. My husband played college ball on scholarship and both of us hung out at Rucker Park.
I've known a few gay and bi-sexual players. They may not be "out" in public - yet, but that is their choice. Though he has broken an important barrier for the NBA, Jason Collins isn't the first player to support LBGT equality, and he won't be the last. His decision to come out as an active NBA player took a lot of grit.
Let us also take a moment to acknowledge other LBGT sports figures who have done so in the past.
It's important to also acknowledge those sports folks who stand in solidarity with the LBBT community.
Hat tip to earicicle who posted this comment and video:
And what do you know about an NBA locker room?
Do you know that Kenneth Faried, second-year power forward for the Denver Nuggets, made this powerful PSA advocating for civil unions in Colorado? Sitting alongside him are his two moms, who live CU'd in Kenneth's home state of NJ, where they helped raise him together. BTW, Faried's basketball nickname is 'The Manimal' for his energetic, aggressive style of play.
Speaking of the basketball community, I liked what Sir Charles had to say:
“Anybody who thinks they never played with a gay player is an idiot...
I’ve played with several gay players, it’s their own business…"
In another discussion Barkley expanded his remarks, stating "us being black, we've got to always be for tolerance", noting that everyone has someone in their family who is gay.
What was also of interest to me, in the Sports Illustrated story, which broke the news, which dopper has covered below, is Collins' discussion of his faith (he is a devout Christian).
I'm from a close-knit family. My parents instilled Christian values in me. They taught Sunday school, and I enjoyed lending a hand. I take the teachings of Jesus seriously, particularly the ones that touch on tolerance and understanding.
Every black church I've ever attended has had gay members, some quite prominent in church functioning, whether folks want to fess up about it or not.
The countering "view" has now been heard from sportscaster Chris Broussard who is spouting his brand of bible talk, "I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would characterize them as a Christian."
Whatever.
Far more important was the tweet from Dwane Wade (also a devout Christian).
"Jason Collins showed a lot of courage today and I respect him for taking a stand and choosing to live in his truth. #nbafamily." Within minutes thousands had re-tweeted Wade's positive message.
Collins has discussed
what sparked him to come out publicly:
His college roommate was Robert Kennedy's grandson Joseph III.
Enrolled in Stanford in 1998 where his roommate was Joseph P. Kennedy III, the son of former congressman Joe Kennedy II and the grandson of former Senator Robert Kennedy.
After graduation, Kennedy attended Harvard Law School, became a local prosecutor and in 2012 got elected to Congress from Massachusetts' 4th congressional district, which runs from the Boston suburbs of Newton down to the New Bedford coast.
In fact, it was a conversation that Collins and Kennedy had about the congressman marching in a gay pride parade that prompted Collins to reveal his homosexuality.
He wrote in Sports Illustrated, "I'm seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn't even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator.
Kennedy tweeted Monday, "I’ve always been proud to call (Collins) a friend, and I’m even prouder to stand with him today.”
What Collins had to say in
SI about the stress he was under, and the importance of people, straight and gay speaking up is key:
The strain of hiding my sexuality became almost unbearable in March, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments for and against same-sex marriage. Less then three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn't say a thing. I didn't want to answer questions and draw attention to myself. Not while I was still playing.
I'm glad I'm coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion has shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go. Everyone is terrified of the unknown, but most of us don't want to return to a time when minorities were openly discriminated against. I'm impressed with the straight pro athletes who have spoken up so far -- Chris Kluwe, Brendon Ayanbadejo. The more people who speak out, the better, gay or straight. It starts with President Obama's mentioning the 1969 Stonewall riots, which launched the gay rights movement, during his second inaugural address. And it extends to the grade-school teacher who encourages her students to accept the things that make us different.
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News by dopper0189, Black Kos Managing Editor
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Progress... "Jason Collins: I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay." Sports Illustrated: Why NBA center Jason Collins is coming out now.
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Why am I coming out now? Well, I started thinking about this in 2011 during the NBA player lockout. I'm a creature of routine. When the regular season ends I immediately dedicate myself to getting game ready for the opener of the next campaign in the fall. But the lockout wreaked havoc on my habits and forced me to confront who I really am and what I really want. With the season delayed, I trained and worked out. But I lacked the distraction that basketball had always provided.
The first relative I came out to was my aunt Teri, a superior court judge in San Francisco. Her reaction surprised me. "I've known you were gay for years," she said. From that moment on I was comfortable in my own skin. In her presence I ignored my censor button for the first time. She gave me support. The relief I felt was a sweet release. Imagine you're in the oven, baking. Some of us know and accept our sexuality right away and some need more time to cook. I should know -- I baked for 33 years.
When I was younger I dated women. I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.
I realized I needed to go public when Joe Kennedy, my old roommate at Stanford and now a Massachusetts congressman, told me he had just marched in Boston's 2012 Gay Pride Parade. I'm seldom jealous of others, but hearing what Joe had done filled me with envy. I was proud of him for participating but angry that as a closeted gay man I couldn't even cheer my straight friend on as a spectator. If I'd been questioned, I would have concocted half truths. What a shame to have to lie at a celebration of pride. I want to do the right thing and not hide anymore. I want to march for tolerance, acceptance and understanding. I want to take a stand and say, "Me, too."
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Progress... "For the first time ever, students at Wilcox County High School, in Rochelle, Ga. danced together at a prom that wasn’t segregated." ABC: Bridging the Divide: Wilcox County High School Students Hold First Integrated Prom.
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For any teenager, prom is a monumental night, but for students at a Georgia high school, it has been more than 40 years in the making.
For the first time ever, students at Wilcox County High School, in Rochelle, Ga. danced together at a prom that wasn’t segregated.
For decades, the school board has avoided officially endorsing prom festivities, instead relying on parents to host and control invitations leading to year after year of two dances — one for white students, and one for the black students.
Students have lobbied over the years to end the practice. This year, a group of Wilcox County seniors decided to take matters into their own hands.
The four girls, two black and two white, created a Facebook page asking for support and donations to fund an independent bash open to all.
“We were doing that so we could get the word out, so that some people would be able to donate and help us out with what we were doing,” said senior Mareshia Rucker.
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Progress... Last week, the Delaware State legislature approved a constitutional amendment to all but remove the last Jim Crow-era voter suppression law from its books. BlackVoices: Felony Disenfranchisement: A Holdover from the Jim Crow Era.
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The amendment, passed at the urging of the Delaware NAACP, allows people with nonviolent felony convictions to vote after their release from prison. This is a major victory for voting rights and a strike against the practice of "felony disenfranchisement." But it is also a major step forward for a nation still struggling to heal old racial wounds.
Felony disenfranchisement has direct roots in the Jim Crow Era. In the late 19th century, states above and below the Mason-Dixon Line began to find new and creative ways to keep black voters away from the polls. Banning people with felony convictions was one of the solutions.
For example, in 1901 the Commonwealth of Virginia had 147,000 black voters on the rolls. But many lawmakers saw this growing political block as a threat. At that year's Constitutional Convention, they hatched a plan to disenfranchise African Americans through a combination of black codes and felony disenfranchisement. One legislator said on the record that the plan would "eliminate the darkey as a political factor."
Ben Jealous
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Four young victims of a deadly Alabama church bombing that marked one of the darkest moments of the civil rights movement are one step closer to receiving Congress’ highest civilian honor. NewsOne: Birmingham’s ’4 Little Girls’ May Receive Congressional Gold Medals.
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By a 420-0 vote, the House on Wednesday passed a measure that posthumously would award the Congressional Gold Medal to Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair.
The girls were killed when a bomb planted by white supremacists exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., in September 1963. The measure will now be considered by the Senate.
The House effort was led by Alabama Reps. Terri Sewell, a Democrat, and Spencer Bachus, a Republican. The two represent Birmingham and presented Wednesday’s vote as a way to honor the legacy of the victims.
“It was their blood which was shed for the bounty that so many of us now enjoy,” Sewell said. Bachus said the tragedy pushed the civil rights movement forward and honoring its victims was the correct way to commemorate their legacy.
While Congress has shown broad support for awarding the medal, the idea has split relatives of the four victims. Some are supportive but others are seeking financial compensation. The sisters of two of the victims, Denise McNair and Carol Robertson, sat in the House gallery to watch the vote, with Sewell noting their presence after the vote and asking members to applaud them.
Birmingham Four
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Brookings Institution scholars are reporting that African Americans turned out to vote at a higher rate than white voters last November. ColorLines: Black Voters Made History By Beating Whites to Polls Last November.
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Brookings Institution scholars are reporting that African Americans turned out to vote at a higher rate than white voters last November. Brookings demographer William H. Frey analyzed 2012 census election data, along with Pew Research Center numbers, and found that black voters turned out at a higher rate than any other race, which was consistent with similar findings by Pew in December. Back then it was also estimated that black voters turned out at a higher rate than white voters, but Frey’s analysis finally confirms that conclusion.
The Associated Press, for whom the analysis was commissioned, reports that the finding reflects “a deeply polarized presidential election in which blacks strongly supported Barack Obama while many whites stayed home.”
One key downer from the report is that overall turnout rates have steadily decreased: 58 percent voter turnout in 2012 compared with 62 percent in 2008 and 60 percent in 2004.
Still, the milestone for African American voters is particularly significant given that they overcame many threats to the ballot franchise — namely voter ID laws and the attacks on early voting — in order to reach this peak in turnout.
“Black turnout set records this year despite record attempts to suppress the black vote,” said NAACP president Ben Jealous in an interview with AP. He also told them that the upcoming 2014 midterm elections will be “the real bellwether” for black turnout.
Photo: J.D. Pooley/Getty Images
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Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs start their businesses with less money than whites and "... disparities at startup follow through the operational life of the firm, and they’re not disappearing.” BusinessWeek: Race Matters in Funding Small Businesses.
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Minority businesses rely more on the owner’s personal wealth than on outside lenders or investors. These companies are less likely to apply for bank loans for fear of getting turned down. When they do seek credit, black and Hispanic business owners are less likely to be approved than whites, even after controlling for characteristics like credit score or the type of business. The differences persist for years after companies are founded.
These findings, from a new research paper commissioned by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, add to the growing body of evidence that the playing field for entrepreneurs is tilted depending on the color of their skin. “These disparities at startup follow through the operational life of the firm, and they’re not disappearing,” says author Alicia Robb, senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. Robb used data from the Kauffman Firm Survey, which followed about 5,000 companies started in 2004 over several years.
The difference begins with America’s wide gap in wealth between whites and Asians on one side and blacks and Hispanics on the other. The median net worth in black households in the U.S. was less than $9,000, compared with $114,000 for whites, in 2004, the year the firms in the survey were started. That gap has widened since the recession.
Despite starting with less wealth on average, black and Hispanic entrepreneurs rely more on their own money to start their businesses: On average owners and company insiders put up 56 percent of initial capital, with external debt and equity making up the rest. At white-owned businesses, which started with double the capital on average, internal funds made up only 39 percent. (These figures don’t account for differences such as credit score and type of business, which might account for some of the disparity.)
Photograph by John Fedele/Getty Images
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Voices and Soul
by Justice Putnam
Black Kos Poetry Editor
Returning with a drug habit he acquired while serving in Korea, Etheridge Knight was arrested for robbery and sentenced in 1960 to eight years in the Indiana State Prison. While serving time, he began to write poetry and corresponded with members of the burgeoning Black Arts Movement; Gwendolyn Brooks was one and enthusiastically championed him and his prison poetry. His first volume "Poems From Prison" was published in 1968 while he was still incarcerated. It was an immediate success and he continued to write while out of prison, receiving grants and honoraria from The Guggenheim Foundation and The National Endowment of the Arts, among others. In 1990, at the age of 49, Knight earned a Bachelor's degree in American Poetry and Criminal Justice from Martin Center University in Indianapolis. He died the next year of lung cancer.
The Idea of Ancestry
Taped to the wall of my cell are 47 pictures: 47 black
faces: my father, mother, grandmothers (1 dead), grand-
fathers (both dead), brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts,
cousins (1st and 2nd), nieces, and nephews. They stare
across the space at me sprawling on my bunk. I know
their dark eyes, they know mine. I know their style,
they know mine. I am all of them, they are all of me;
they are farmers, I am a thief, I am me, they are thee.
I have at one time or another been in love with my mother,
1 grandmother, 2 sisters, 2 aunts (1 went to the asylum),
and 5 cousins.I am now in love with a 7-yr-old niece
(she sends me letters in large block print, and
her picture is the only one that smiles at me).
I have the same name as 1 grandfather, 3 cousins, 3 nephews,
and 1 uncle. The uncle disappeared when he was 15, just took
off and caught a freight (they say).He's discussed each year
when the family has a reunion, he causes uneasiness in
the clan, he is an empty space.My father's mother, who is 93
and who keeps the Family Bible with everbody's birth dates
(and death dates) in it, always mentions him. There is no
place in her Bible for "whereabouts unknown."
-- Etheridge Knight
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