As we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. We are reminded of what great accomplishments he was able to achieve in his brief life. He was murdered at the age of 38 but still had a profound impact on issues like equality and civil rights for all people . Although there aren't any more "whites only" rest rooms and the fact that we've had a black president and vice president his dream hasn't fully been realized. Discounting the progress made would be disingenuous. Kids of all ethnicities are able to sit in the same classrooms. Blacks, Whites , Hispanics, and Asians can all work together as colleagues in work settings. All because Dr King pushed for equality, he had a vision it could one day be commonplace. For the most part we see evidence of that everyday. For that we're all indebted to him. We can't just think of this day as a day off from work. Remember why it's important. Dr King literally died for this.
Despite our progress as a society, I doubt if Dr King would be happy about desparities in mass incarceration , income, and education. He would not be pleased by events like George Floyd or Philando Castile. Also one issue that disturbs me is that of is NFL power structure. A league who's players are over 70% black , but only 3 teams are willing to have their team lead by a black man. So I guess these coaches can't lead and relate to players who have a similar upbringing and experiences . No one can tell a billionaire what to do with their own money but when team owners openly bypass qualified candidates of color for lesser qualified individuals, it leaves you scratching your head. "The Rooney Rule" was supposed to help lessen the chances of a Joe Judge or a Matt Rhule hiring and not overlook minority candidates with a more successful resume like a Leslie Frazier or Eric Bienemy. To some teams interviewing black candidates is just checking a box to hire who they really want to. I get it. That's understandable sometimes. In this coaching cycle Sean Payton is out there, if he agrees to coach your team, why not get him if you can. He's a proven winner , but don't pass over an experienced NFL offensive or defensive coordinator for a high school coach like the Houston Texans tried to do in 2021. They wanted to hire former NFL journeyman Qb Josh Mckown as head coach but due to public outcry and alleged pressure from other league owners they decided to hire David Culley and subsequently Lovie Smith to be defacto test dummies for a depleted Texans roster. Lovie led a Chicago Bear team quarterbacked by Rex Grossman to a Super Bowl. Validating the point he's a legitimate head coach when given a decent roster to work with. Despite taking teams like the Cowboys and Chiefs down to the wire and playing the Eagles close this past season, Lovie was let go after just one year. I'm sorry do you expect to win if you take a Super soaker to a gun fight or how about if you challenge Dominic Torreto to a street race in a Prius? I got the answer , no and no. Lovie nor Culley wasn't given a reasonable chance to succeed.
That's just an example of why King's Dream hasn't fully been realized. Despite the lack of adequate resources we are still expected to keep up with those who already have established successful systems in place. But we should not knock the progress made. Before Art Shell was hired as coach of the Raiders in 1991 there was no black head coaches in the NFL just as there were very few black quarterbacks. Seeing blacks and other minorities getting their seat at the table was what King desired. He embodied diversity. Seeing that come to fruition more and more is encouraging. I pray that all of us play our part in making it be so. Then this will truly be a dream fulfilled. Happy birthday Dr King.
Comentarios