Dr MLK, Jr King Assassination Anniversary

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the April 4, 1968 assassination of the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, TN. 

I wanted to make sure I wrote a post about the anniversary this year because I'm still a little upset at myself that I didn't do one last year.   But then again I had a lot on my mind  at the time and the winds of change were blowing through my life once again.. 

But back to talking about this day.   Tavis Smiley calls him one of the greatest Americans our people have ever produced.    Well, I can think of a few others in that class such as Frederick Douglass, Dr. Dorothy Height and Justice Thurgood Marshall, but I agree he's probably at the top of that short list.

I've had more than a few things to say on this anniversary, and I'll let you read my commentary on this day in prior years.    

Reflections About A King

April 4 Blues

Dr. King Assassination 41 Years Later


43 years later in this country, while on one hand race relations have improved on some levels, I also believe they have regressed as well thanks to conservative governments more concerned with sowing division in order to promote their political agenda.    They shortsightedly fail to realize that an America that works for everyone is a stronger, better country for all concerned.

Rest in peace Dr. King.  You were taken away from us before 'The Dream' became a reality, but there are people working to ensure that it does come true.

The Final Four Game That Changed History

March Madness has started its opening weekend of thrilling basketball games to determine the men's and women's NCAA champions for this 2010-11 season.   But 45 years ago today an NCAA championship game was played at Cole Field House on the University of Maryland campus that not only was one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history until a certain 1983 NCAA championship game made me sick to my stomach, it had a seismic impact on the collegiate game and society itself. .

On March 19, 1966, the unheralded and third ranked Texas Western Miners (now UTEP) were facing the number one ranked and heavily favored Adolph Rupp coached Kentucky Wildcats.    At the time teams in the SEC, ACC, and the Texas based SWC didn't recruit African American players for racist and stereotypical reasons.

Texas Western started a lineup with five Black players, David Lattin, Bobby Joe Hill, Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy and Willie Worsley versus Kentucky's all white lineup that included future NBA coach Pat Riley and Louie Dampier.

It wasn't the first time that black players had started in an NCAA championship game.   Just three years earlier in the NCAA championship game Loyola started four Black players and Cincinnati three as Loyola upset the defending champs to take the 1963 NCAA title.   The Miners were the first team to have five African-American  players not only take the floor of a regular season NCAA game, but the floor of a NCAA title game as well, something we don't even think about now.

Texas Western opened the game with a thunderous dunk by Houstonian David Lattin, took the lead midway through the first half and never relinquished it.  Despite determined runs by 'Rupp's Runts' that shrunk the Texas Western lead to a point, the Miners  eventually won a thrilling 72-66 game to secure their  first NCAA championship.

The kids at Texas Western just wanted the game more.  They were playing not just for an NCAA  championship, but for the dignity of a people.  

The game forever destroyed the 'n----r ball' stereotype about African American players and ended the color line in the SEC, ACC and SWC.   Rupp himself would recruit his first African American player a few years later before he retired..  

Interestingly enough, the NCAA banned dunking from 1967 until 1976 probably due to the success of Texas Western and the imminent arrival of Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) at UCLA

The game would also be depicted in the 2006 movie Glory Road as well.  

There have been plenty of NCAA title games since then, but none with the far reaching social and historic influence of this one.

Astronaut Alvin Drew On Last Discovery Mission

As I continue to point out, every month is Black History month.   Sometimes Black history is being made in our current timeframe and isn't as obvious as the first Black president and FLOTUS occupying the White House
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One such instance is the current STS-133 mission of the space shuttle Discovery.  One of the astronauts taking part in this mission is African-American.

Air Force Colonel B. Alvin Drew is on his second shuttle mission to the International Space Station, and one of the 14 African-Americans who have been launched into space.  

On February 28 when he ventured outside the ISS with astronaut Steve Bowen, he not only became the fifth African American astronaut to perform an EVA, but the 200th person to walk in space.

This STS-133 mission is also notable for the fact it is the last one for the space shuttle Discovery, which will be decommissioned and sent to a museum after the completion of this flight.

It is cool to know that an African-American astronaut is taking part in not only writing another chapter of our nation's spacefaring history, but Black history as well.

Oscar Blackout

Mo'nique won the Oscar last year for Best Supporting Actress, but when the Oscars kick off next month the list of nominees will look like a Republican Party convention.

One year after an Oscars ceremony that saw Mo'nique's win for her role in Precious and other African-American such as Geoffrey Fletcher, Roger Ross Williams,  Morgan Freeman, Lee Daniels, Gabourey Sidibe and Broderick Johnson either win Oscars or were nominees,  there's an Oscars blackout this year.

Roger Ross Williams became the first African-American to win in the Best Documentary Short Subject category and Geoffrey Fletcher did the same with his win in the Best Writing (adapted screenplay) category.

There were a lot of folks that hated on For Colored Girls including movie critics, but I'm still surprised that Anika Noni Rose, Thandie Newton, or Kimberly Elise didn't even get a bone thrown at them for their performances in the movie.

So when Oscar night happens this year, the only African-Americans that will walking up to the podium this year will do so as presenters.
 

Soul Bowl 2?

When Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears kicked off in 2007, it marked the first time in NFL history that two African-American head coaches had taken their teams to the NFL title game.

In the African-American community that game received the nickname of the 'Soul Bowl' because of that Black historical footnote.    It also meant that both coaches, Tony Dungy of Indianapolis and Lovie Smith of Chicago would also become depending on the result of that game trailblazing Black history makers in being the first African-American NFL coaches to win and lose a Super Bowl.     

Tony Dungy's Colts came out on top that February 4 day and Dungy's name was the one etched into the history books as the first African-American NFL coach to win a Super Bowl.   

Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers followed him just two years later when he took them in only his second year as their head coach to their record breaking sixth NFL title    

With Championship Sunday looming, we have the potential for another Soul Bowl clash at Super Bowl XLV in Arlington.    Dungy has retired from the NFL coaching ranks, but Lovie Smith is still the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Mike Tomlin is still the Steelers head coach.
   

If Tomlin's Steelers and Lovie Smith's Bears win their respective AFC and NFC title games, it would set up another Soul Bowl clash at the Jerrydome.  It would also give Lovie Smith another shot at winning the NFL title that eluded him in Miami a few years ago.

The game would also have the added historical footnote of President Barack Obama, our first African American president being there to not only watch that Black history being made, but become the first sitting president to watch what should be a very interesting Super Bowl.

The POTUS has stated he will go to the game if the Bears win their NFC title game on Sunday.   

Sorry TransGriot readers who are Jets and Packers fans, you know who I'm rooting for to win this weekend.
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President Obama Inauguration 2nd Anniversary

We are halfway through the first term of the 44th President of the United States, and on the second anniversary of his inauguration though I'd look back and see what I wrote about that January 20, 2009 day.

With 655 days until the election  he has started to gear up his reelection campaign, his reelection team and set up the 2012 campaign HQ back in Chicago.

he's had a rocky two years, but has accomplished some major legislative victories as well in terms of passing health care legislation. hate crimes, and repealing DADT.

We transpeeps have been happy with the appointments of transpeople to his administration and getting passports that reflect the person we are now.

But we still have work to do, and unfortunately it'll be a little tougher with reactionary Republicans controlling the house while we still have the Senate.

We can rectify that problem on November 6, 2012  and at the same time, ensure we have a bigger inauguration party on January 20, 2013.

Happy Birthday To 'The Greatest'!

Today was also the birthday of the the best heavyweight champion of all time, Muhammad Ali.   He was born in Louisville on this date in 1942 and will always be The Greatest' to me and my generation of fight fans.