COEXIST

Such An Obvious Concept

Where are the religious and spiritual communities in this conversation? There is no coexist without understanding, no coexist without respect, no coexist without conversation.

Racism, in any form, in all forms is never sanctioned by any religious or spiritual belief. Racism by its very nature of perceived superiority based on birth over another human being or group based on birth fuels arrogance which leads to oppression, then resentment, exploitation, hatred and hatred leads to violence. Connecting these dots is simple, true and obvious. No religion or spiritual practice supports the end result. Yet silence among the religious and spiritual communities reigns–almost.

The United Church of Christ in its Mid-Atlantic Region has voted a formal boycott of the Washington, D.C. NFL team. In Cleveland, where the UCC National Headquarters are located, in the past they have supported outreach to the Native American community. Both steps are positive. More steps must be taken. More leaders can and should step forward. I call on the Roman Catholic diocese of Cleveland and Bishop Lennon to open a conversation with the team owners, myself and other interested parties to find a positive resolution to this longstanding MLB travesty at his doorstep. I know the Dolan family, the MLB team owners, are Roman Catholic, graduates of Notre Dame Law school across generations and active in Catholic Charities. I too am Roman Catholic. It is the right thing to do. For the record I have sent this same request to Bishop Lennon, repeatedly in the past as I did with his predecessor Bishop Pilla  and again this week. To date I have had no response at all.

As I now live in the Boston area I am aware of a powerful coalition of academic and spiritual leaders coming together in an effort to undo the casino endorsement vote through a ballot initiative. The courts have approved the new vote.  It is good to see scholars and spiritual leaders uniting on an issue but perhaps it is time for their expansion of the process,? Uniting FOR human dignity, mutual respect, integrity and decency seems to be the message all teach. This is not a ballot issue, it can be a hearts and minds issue. History, recent history, has shown time and again that racism leads to violence, both local and beyond.

The current Roman Catholic Pope, Pope Francis has prayed with Israeli leader Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbastogether at the Vatican last month and this week prayed with tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square to end warfare in the Middle East. Hatred, in all its forms, kills. The exploitation of any one group, Native, Indigenous, minority or simply seen as the other mirrors the pattern of exploitation and oppression of all.

“I exhort to all the interested parties and to all of those who have political responsibility at the local and international level to not give up the prayer, nor any effort to cease any hostility and reach the desired peace for the good of all,” the Pope said, according to a CNN translation. He spoke in Italian, from the window of his apartment above St. Peter’s Square.

These same words for peace and universal good-respect and decency-carry for all team identities. Where there are racist team identities in all sports which peace is placed at risk with hostility expanded as the identity of an indigenous people is used by others for profit and personal gain. In time I am certain this will come to be seen as the truth, seen by those currently hugging tradition and old attitudes tightly in their closed hearts. The growth of the global community will make the current team identities, endorsed by their owners and organizations from Cleveland, to Washington, D.C. and beyond and the sports’ fan behaviors worldwide proof positive of vile racism and continued ignorant intentional blindness. This is not a legacy anyone should strive to leave. It is time for a change.

LeBron, Welcome Home–Now What?

LeBron, Welcome Home–Now What?

When racism directly hit your league you spoke out. Thank you for that. You rather brilliantly controlled the announcement of your return to Ohio. My question for you Mr. James is this: do you really care about racism, in all its forms, in sports? In all sports?

If so, what is your position on the racism in the NFL and in MLB and in all the other arenas in Ohio and all the cities where NBA teams play involving the Native American team identities? Cleveland is your sport’s home as much as Akron is your family’s home and Cleveland has the most racist team in MLB in the country.

The team name while currently commonly accepted does represent a racist and arrogant mistake by a man determined to conquer an entire continent centuries ago, a mistake never really addressed and certainly not corrected. The logo is the modern version of plenty of ugly racist caricatures no longer accepted as legitimate but in Cleveland it is accepted as “cute”–Chief Wahoo. Will you stand up and call out this racist issue? Or do you only care about racism as it affects your own race?

Is racism in all its forms, against all people important enough for you to take a stand?

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Can US Mayors Confront Racism? Will They?

“There can be a meanness,an ugliness” in sports.

Kareem Adbul-Jabbar: “I couldn’t believe that someone could have that much bigotry inside and think that it was OK” when referring to Sterling and his racist comments.

“Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin told the mayors’ meeting he hopes the Sterling drama will serve as a catalyst for positive changes in society.

“We can focus on Donald Sterling all we want or we can be smart about it and focus on what we can all accomplish when we come together as one,”” Michael Irvin said.

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Racism, Causing Violence?

 

Why???Why does racism matter? It leads to violence ultimately. Why does violence matter to you, me or anyone? When people physically attack each other the risk that any individual can be physically harmed grows. When we see violence, when we read about violence, when we know people who have been victims or survivors of violence or when we our selves are physically harmed the likelihood that there will be more violence increases.

It is simple self-interest for each of us to want to see violence reduced. We cannot guarantee that we ourselves will be able to protect ourselves or our loved ones each and every time there is a risk of violence. This is true no matter who we are or where we live.

For our own personal safety the far smarter course is to work to increase the support for mutual respect and peaceful means of reducing disagreements and physical conflict. Simple to understand. Not always simple to do. Still worth knowing and still worth doing.

Racism hurts everyone. It is time for the sports organizations to understand this, discuss it and work to stop it. Cleveland, The Dolan family, all the faith organizations in Cleveland and Cleveland baseball fans everywhere–you can start the process. Change the team name and retire Chief Wahoo. Will you?

 

 

http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/why_violence.htm

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Slovakia Gets It Right, Can MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL et al Ever Get It Right?

It can be simple: Racism is wrong. Racism in any and all forms will not be acceptable. Racism will not be tolerated. Ever. Period. Slovakia gets it right.

Teams, players, Commissioners, families, owners, coaches, staff, broadcasters, fans–how can you keep looking for justifications for your cowardace? Silence condones the status quo. Speak up. Make the changes, do the right thing, not because you are somehow giving in, somehow doing what “they” say to do, or “they” say not to do but because it is the decent, human, respectful, honorable and right thing to take actioin. Fire racism. Change the names, logos, mascots and all representations that are racist  and associated with any of the teams. Change the owners when necessary. 

Mr. Larry Dolan, Mr. Paul Dolan, Mr. Mark Shapiro–can you give one legitimate reason not to change the Cleveland team name and logo–other than  the unbelievably weak “tradition” or perhaps “profits”, or perhaps you personally each “don’t see anything wrong with it” or your own individual and maybe joint fear of public or even private social reaction? Really? It is time for a mirror check–you, in your own mirror and the mirror of each of your consciences. 

Tell me, tell the world, tell your children and grandchildren that for the sake of pride, ego, sheer stubbornness you stood down everyone and “did it your way”–do you each really think the world is going to honor that choice and your following generations will be pleased that they have to answer for your intransience, that they have to find the courage you lack to do what you failed to do? It is not the 19th century, the 20th century or even the first decade of the 21st century. Your actions in 2014 are indefensible. The world has, in fact, changed.

It is simple: do the right thing and stop profiting from the name of a race of people(the reasoning behind the name is described elsewhere in this blog and from its origins until today it is wrong, factually, ethically and morally) and a demeaning, degrading and insulting racist caricature. Do not look to find apologists, do not look to poll a committee or a community or a board of directors. Do not look to clergy, academia or marketers for quidance. The clergy are occupied elweshere with their own faiulres and issues, academia is facing the digital evolution in education and marketers will do as you ask since you employ them.

For once take the lead, open a discussion with those of us who have pressed this issue forward for years and start the conversation not with a question as to how you can profit from the change but rather how you can do the change of both name and logo in a way that gives the change truth, respect and dignity for all involved.

I have asked this of you before and here I ask yet again: begin the conversation with those of us formally involved, now.

That question about how to increase profits and the change–check the transcripts from the deposition I personally participated in during the OCRC filing against Gateway and the team, your team–your lawyers asked it of me, just before we adjourned and the transcriptionist should have had it on the record. I had ideas and a plan then and still do have ideas as to how the change can be profitable today. However, I deferred, very deliberately on the answer, as I will here. That is a conversation for an entirely different setting but as businessmen I would certainly think you also have ideas on the subject. The courage to tackle the issue? That I have not yet seen, anywhere, ever, at all.

From Slovakia:

“One of the faces of the public-service RTVS sports desk, Kristína Kormúthová, was sacked after she posted a controversial comment on her Facebook profile on May 16. Kormúthová wrote on Facebook that a man who, according to her, tried to steal the rain gutter from her house at night was “a prematurely born, stinky gypsy” and asked why “us hunters” cannot shoot such people like animals. She concluded, “And let anyone dare call me a racist!””  She is now fired, because of the statement. More on the link above.

That is leadership and integrity in action. Can we have it here in American sports, in the National Pastime?

Succession–Mr. Selig A New Process Is Required

Every organization needs a leader/spokesperson, MLB included. The difficulty here is the secrecy of the process. Combine that with the very real isolation of the billionaire owners and baseball, the National Pastime and American invention teeters on the brink of irrelevancy or revolution.

Think about this: if you worked for a billionaire would you want to be the bearer of bad news, in any form? Not likely. An out of sorts billionaire is not a pretty sight. It would not bode well for friends, family or continued employment.

Traditionally lawyers were the carriers of negative information but with the top courts increasingly favoring the .1% their realm has little negative news to convey. Yet there is a way forward, a new way, perhaps another American invention? Open the process, to the fans, the players, the team staff, even the unions for a negotiated choice of a leader and then let the owners determine terms and tenure.

I sincerely doubt the owners will be reading this but everyone who loves the game, loves sport or is in any of the mentioned categories and each and every family member of those people, owner’s families included, maybe some of you are reading this. Oh, all politicians and their staffs, you, too, of course. It is about the quintessential American game.  

Step up to the plate, take a swing. You can’t win if you aren’t in the game and maybe you will hit one out of the park.

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Business and Human Rights

The United Nations has found  “the use of stereotypes obscures understanding of the reality of Native Americans today and instead help to keep alive racially discriminatory attitudes.” Last month the owner of the Redskins was again challenged to reconsider his position on the team name

This week the state of relations between the First Nations and Canada have again come under critical review and been found wanting. This parallels findings to some extent of the Special Rapportuer when he was examining the situation in the USA. He clearly outlined standards: “Private actors also have responsibilities independently of the States’ obligation to promote and protect human rights,” Mr. Anaya said.  http://unsr.jamesanaya.org/statements/usa-redskins-team-mascot-hurtful-reminder-of-past-suffering-of-native-americans 

MLB teams are in Canada and the USA, both have indigenous peoples still living in communities with rights of self-governance and MLB still continues to claim the name and logo in Cleveland are neither racist nor contributors to racism. Are these claims honestly true?

Cat & Dogs Get Along. Can We?

Animals respect and care about and for each other. Proof positive here.

People, it is time for us to do the same.

Nobody Really Cares About Racism?

If you are a Native American, if you are an American, if you are a person–isn’t racism always racism?

We all share one home, earth, and one race, the human race. It is time for everyone to respect everyone. Change ALL team names that are of a “race” of people, all mascots and logos that depict “races” of people. We can and really should find new and exciting ways to enjoy supporting our teams.

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Racism Is Racism Is Racism

Boston, how far you have fallen. After the Bruins were defeated in a Stanley Cup playoff series game on Thursday the Twitterverse lit up with racism. From the Boston fans. Because the Canadiens player P.K. Subban has dark skin. His parents moved from the Caribbean to Canada decades ago. P.K. was born in Canada.

Boston has a proud history of racial equality and a shameful history of racism. The response to this week’s events by the NHL is positive yet weak. Hoping there will be change, labeling racists as racist, classless, and ignorant is an important step. The next step requires action. What will the Bruins actually do now? What can they do?

They can contribute directly to educational programs in Boston city schools. They can work with the other major sports teams, the Red Sox and the Patriots to develop school programs for all of Massachusetts’ schools, public and private, preschool through university level teaching the history of racism in sports. Only then will their words have meaning.

“I share the thoughts of Cam and the organization. It’s just poor judgment, poor taste, and we don’t associate ourselves with people like that,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “People who act that way are not what we call our fans. They may think they are, but we certainly don’t support that. It’s a shame that this is still going around in this day and age that people are still thinking that way. For us, it’s a shame. As I mentioned, it’s certainly not getting our support on that one.”

Boston left winger Milan Lucic also commented:

‘It’s very, very disappointing to hear that,’ he said. ‘It’s really sad that people do something like that… To criticize someone about something that has nothing to do with hockey on an issue like that is very ignorant and stupid if you asked me.”

A good beginning. Only a beginning.