“In every generation, ever since Negros have been here, every Negro mother and father has had to face that child and try to create in that child some way of surviving this particular world, some way to make that child who will be despised not despise himself.”
The above was written by James Baldwin in 1964 in “The uses of the Blues.” I wonder what people in America think about that today, when African American people are being shot every day.
Last week I watched the ESPY’s. In the midst of all the sports awards, they gave out the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. Last year Bruce Jenner won for becoming Caitlin Jenner. The year the award went to a high school football player from Knoxville, Tennessee by the name of Zaevion Dobson. Zaevion was sitting on a porch with some of his friends enjoying the evening when a car drove up and the passenger started shooting. Zaevion threw himself on top of ther two girls sitting with them, saving their lives, but dying in a hail of gunfire. He will never grow up to realize his potential. I don’t know what I would do in that situation- probably nothing as brave as him.
His mom, while accepting the award, reminded everyone that when the high school held a ceremony at halftime of a game to honor Zaevion, his cousin, who went to the game, was gunned down by another drive by on the way home.
Turning the clock back about an hour, the show started with Chris Paul, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade standing on stage each talking about how they are going to start speaking up against the violence filling our country. I hope they do, as they are the roll models that kids look up to. Dwyane Wade was just signed by the Bulls for about 23 million dollars a year, and returns home to a city that now leads the country in street shootings and deaths from them. Let’s see what he does when he comes home!!