
August 5, 2022
Gary A. McAbee
Welcome to What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch by Gary A. McAbee. What’s Black is a monthly update about things of interest for black people to watch, discuss, and actively interpret. The time is now for all of us to get involved. These are conversations we need to have, and we will have these conversations. In this issue, there are some of the things we need to watch in August 2022…
No greetings for you at Sesame Place…
You’ve seen the video of a character bypassing black children at the Sesame Place theme park. It was bad. I could somewhat accept it if the character had a bunch of kids in that spot and didn’t have time to greet them all (see sports figures when signing autographs on the fly). But this was different. It looked calculated. Add to it the fact that other videos show similar behavior, and one has to wonder how common it is to shun black children who just want to meet their favorite characters at this theme park? Who trains these character actors? Is it isolated to the one person who plays this particular character, or is it more widespread? My belief is the latter. Besides, we have camera phones now and things are being filmed. In the past, this type of behavior would go unnoticed, or at least unrecorded. It also points to another fact. We, as black people, are not inventing, nor exaggerating these experiences. We face more discrimination than we know. Thanks to the camera phone, now we can expose it, even at Sesame Place.
It’s because of the clause Kyler Murray…
Kyler Murray is a superstar quarterback of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. He is regarded as the best high school football player in the history of Texas. He won the Heisman trophy as a college football player. He was a number one draft pick. In other words, he has been at the top of his football world for the last 12 years. However, since he became o pro, he doesn’t study his craft like an NFL quarterback should. Who can blame him? Up to this point he has been successful without studying football. His team wants to change that, so they put clause in his contract which mandates that Kyler Murray must study for 4 hours per week, while not playing Call of Duty. Wait what? By adding this in his contract, it points to a question every black quarterback faces: are you intelligent enough to play the position? Mental abilities of black quarterbacks. It’s no secret the NFL has a long and storied history of questioning the mental abilities of black quarterbacks. This doesn’t help change that perception. Shame on you Arizona Cardinals for being insensitive to black quarterbacks everywhere, especially your own. Next time, handle that internally.
Mark, ponder your future in prison…
First of all, does anyone know Mark Ponder? Another question: did anyone see any footage of Mark Ponder at the January 6th Insurrection? I have seen countless clips of the crowd on that fateful day, but none have featured Mark Ponder. So who is he? Apparently, he is a Capitol rioter who assaulted police officers on January 6th. Also, he’s black so its no surprise to me that he has received the longest sentence for a rioter thus far. Did I mention he’s black? Like I always say, if you’re not careful, they will let you know who you are to them sooner or later. In this case, Mark Ponder is just another black man on the wrong side of the law. Let’s see how other Capitol rioters who assaulted police officers are treated. By the way, Mark deserves every minute of jail time he got. On to the next…
Brittney Griner gets grounded, but for what…
WNBA star Brittney Griner has been in a Russian jail for over 5 months for cannabis possession. Finally, she received her sentence of 9 years in prison. In reality, she is being used as a pawn by the Russians as retaliation for the United States support for Ukraine. As we know, Russia has invaded Ukraine, and American weapons are helping Ukraine survive. So along comes Brittney and a small quantity of drugs. Next thing you know, she’s the poster child for Russian “justice”. She’s also caught between two governments, who hopefully can agree to a prisoner swap to free her. Let’s not forget a question the arose out of the Brittney Griner saga: what if she was a male basketball player like Lebron James? I bet there would have been a far greater effort to end this situation. Free Brittney Griner!
Give our black heroes their flowers now…
I would be remiss if I didn’t pay homage to black royalty who recently passed away… Nichelle Nichols was a hero. I recall watching her on Star Trek years ago, not realizing the impact she, and her role had on television. She was the one of the first African American women in a television series, and she is most remembered for the first interracial kiss on television. While this is not new today, back then it was groundbreaking. Her role on Star Trek, and the spinoffs of the show, granted access and opportunities. Nichelle Nicholls opened the door for countless black actresses who followed in her footsteps. May we give Nichelle Nichols more flowers now that she has joined the heavenly angels.
Bill Russell was a hero. He is the greatest winner in the history of team sports. His 11 NBA championships are an American record, probably never to be duplicated. He was the first African American head coach in the NBA and the first to win a championship. But Russell’s on court activities may have paled in comparison to his contributions off the court. He was a staunch civil rights activist, who used his influence for social change in sports and society. Despite the challenges he faced in Boston due to his race, he refused to be silent. His voice opened the door for countless black people to gain access and opportunities. May we give Bill Russell more flowers now that he has joined the heavenly angels.
As you can see, August 2022 promises to be a month where we will push our agenda, and meet opposition along the way. What else is new? This is why I started What’s Black: Things to Watch. We need to be aware of issues that affect us and our progress. We need to be more vigilant to protect our best interests. We need to be involved in the ongoing struggle for equality, exercising our fundamental rights, and our ability to live and be successful American citizens. As you can see, we are far from where we need to be. That’s why I will see you in September 2022…
Review… What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch for February 2022
Review… What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch for March 2022
Review… What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch for April 2022
Review… What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch for May 2022
Review… What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch for June 2022
Review… What’s Black: Things We Need to Watch for July 2022
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