Mary Mitchell

January 25, 2007
BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

Sometimes you've got to believe in signs and wonders. Although there are too few African-American coaches in the NFL, Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy are going to the Super Bowl.

After being dissed on "American Idol," South Sider Jennifer Hudson wins a Golden Globe Award and is now up for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

After being trounced in his first race for a seat in Washington, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is being taken seriously as a candidate for the presidency.

And all of this good news is happening just in time for Black History Month.

Whenever too many good things happened at one time, my mother used to say that she hoped the world wasn't about to end.

Now I know that those periods of good favor were actually the payoff for a lot of hard work.

So it is with Smith, Dungy, Hudson, Obama and every other African American who defied the odds and actually accomplished the thing that so many said they could not.

Let's take Chicago Bears Coach Lovie Smith. He didn't just work his way up from the bottom to end up head coach. It took a lot of agitation to get him there.

Indeed, as far back as 1987, civil rights groups in Chicago were pushing professional sports teams to improve their dismal hiring practices when it came to management posts.

Threats of boycotts
The Chicago Southside Branch of the NAACP, for instance, threatened boycotts by sports fans if teams didn't respond to its campaign to increase blacks in sports management. The threat was in response to comments made by Al Campanis, the former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball executive who suggested that blacks weren't intellectually capable of managing professional teams.

Benjamin F. Hooks, then executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, demanded meetings with team owners across the country.

At the time, a spokesman for the National Football League acknowledged its responsibility in the area of minority hiring, but said progress had been made.

Despite being branded as an "opportunist," the Rev. Jesse Jackson went after Major League Baseball that same year. In a speech at then-Operation PUSH titled "Fairness in Sports Leadership" delivered shortly before July 4, Jackson offered an olive branch to owners of the professional teams, provided they move quickly to lower the invisible barriers against blacks in management, the Sun-Times reported.

Sportswriter Ray Sons noted that Jackson, indeed, was fighting for a "just cause."

"Jackson is right. The exclusion of blacks from meaningful management roles in baseball is a disgrace. Basketball's record isn't any better. Football's dearth of African Americans is an abomination," he said.

Then in 2003 came the "Rooney Rule," which was put into effect in response to a threatened lawsuit by lawyers Cyrus Mehri and the late Johnny Cochran. At the time, nearly 70 percent of the NFL's players were black, but 90 percent of the coaches were white.

The Rooney Rule says any team with a head-coaching vacancy must interview at least one minority candidate for the job, the goal being to increase the number of black head coaches. Owners weren't even required to hire a black candidate. But the first year the rule went into effect, the owner of the Detroit Lions was fined $200,000 for failing to interview a black candidate before hiring a new coach.

"It's a huge leap from an interview to a job, yet the rule is a start," Carole Slezak, a Sun-Times sports columnist, wrote at the time. "Who knew it would be so darn hard for a team to comply? No wonder there are only three black head coaches in the NFL," she said. "If the lack of black coaches doesn't convince you of the need for the Rooney Rule, the Lions' behavior should," Slezak wrote.

Love of game doesn't seem to be enough
Before taking over the Bears' head coaching job three years ago this month, Smith was a defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams -- a steppingstone to the top slot.

When he was hired by the Bears, Smith became the fifth black active head coach in the NFL, along with Herman Edwards of the New York Jets, Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals, Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts and Dennis Green of the Arizona Cardinals.

"Me being in this position will open the eyes of a lot of young African-American men to see what you can accomplish if you have a goal," Smith said when he was introduced to Chicago.

But young black men also need to know that without the Rooney Rule, Smith may not have even gotten an interview.

Unfortunately, too often it takes more than the love of the game to get into the game.

In this case, it took agitation.

Now we know. Discrimination wasn't just cheating the players, it was cheating the fans.

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January 18, 2007

BY MARY MITCHELL Sun-Times Columnist

If he runs, he just might win.

Really, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has a good chance of becoming the first nonwhite male to win the presidency. Despite his lack of experience, it is his moment.

But more than that, there are plenty of politically engaged baby boomers who are tired of waiting to see the American Dream realized.

Yes, we've made some progress on bridging the racial gap. But it hasn't been enough.

In many urban areas, the public schools have been re-segregated, neighborhoods are starkly divided by ethnicity and race, and the impoverished are hidden from view.

Besides being immensely gifted, Obama has intimate knowledge of the best and worst of black and white relationships and our often-intolerant behavior toward each other.

He has an intimate understanding of the attitudes that keep Americans from capitalizing on their differences. And he knows that racial apprehensions aren't always driven by racism, but often by irrational fears on the part of whites, and deep-seated pain on the part of blacks.

If he can craft a message that brings this country together across racial lines -- something that ought to be the goal of anyone running for president -- he can win enough support to take the White House.

Unlike both the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., who twice ran for president, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who is considering entering the 2008 race, Obama has not set himself up as an advocate for African Americans.

Memorable speech
Rather, he appears to be positioning himself as a healer, and a leader who can turn this country in a new direction.

"A change in our politics can only come from you; from people across a country who believe there's a better way and are willing to work for it," he said in a message posted on his Web site that announced his formation of a presidential exploratory committee.

Obviously, some people aren't going to like that message.

But I disagree with pundits who claim that average black folks aren't impressed with Obama. How could they not be? Obama hasn't shied away from his blackness. Rather than an elitist, he is an example of what can happen to any of us when we make the most of our God-given talents.

Is America ready to elect a nonwhite male as president? I think so.

Even before reporters started asking Obama if he intended to run for president, a needy public was eyeing him as a potential candidate.

In 2004, when he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, I was standing in a crowd surrounded by young, white people, most of them female.

"This man could be president one day," one of them said, while the others stared awe-struck.

If Obama is indeed counting on the black vote -- like all Democrats count on the black vote -- that could only become a problem if Sharpton jumps into the race.

"I'm waiting to see if someone raises the issues I want to see raised," Sharpton told reporters in November when he announced he had formed an exploratory committee.

With Sharpton in the race, we can expect to hear some of the "but is he black enough?" rhetoric that tainted Obama's unsuccessful run against U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush in 1999.

Has the political capital
With the unprecedented media attention Obama has received since taking office, it didn't take much of a push to get him to renege on his pledge to Illinois voters -- that he would not seek the presidential office in 2008.

Some voters won't like his decision, but Obama wouldn't be Obama if he didn't heed this call.

After all, we've all been taught that opportunity knocks once.

In fact, at this point, not to run would be a waste of his talents.

Obama has the instincts, intellect, and charisma that communicate hope to others, and he has already proven that he has the political and fund-raising capital to make him a serious player on the national stage.

The majority of black people will understand the significance of Obama's campaign.

Because until a black father can look at his son and tell him in earnest that one day he could grow up to become the president of the United States, then America's great promise is as elusive as peace in the Middle East.

Until a black man can seek the presidency without worrying that something tragic may happen, then we really haven't made much progress.

No, Obama is not a saint.

He is a man -- who happens to be identified as black -- who has a desire to lead this nation.

The question now is this: Will America give such a man a real shot at fulfilling his dream?

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As the world knows by now, U.S. Senator Barack Obama announced Monday that he has filed the necessary papers to set up an exploratory committee on running for president.

Obviously, no one is surprised.

But people are already raising questions about whether or not Americans are ready to vote for a non-White male who has a real chance at winning the presidency.

That doesn't shock me. Here's what does: Question are also being raised about Obama's support in the black community.

On Wednesday, under a giant headline entitled: "Obama's Black Problem," the Chicago Defender quoted black leaders who said they were taking a wait-and-see attitude about Obama's presidential run.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1st), who romped over Obama in 1999 when the then state senator made his first run for national office is quoted as saying: "He wants more time to think about it."

And state Sen. Ricky Hendon (D-Chgo.) told the Defender that the slow response of black leaders may be Obama's "own doing."

"The campaign hasn't reached out to us, and it has assumed our support."

When white Democratic candidates on the national stage assume black support, these black leaders don't say a word. But an African-American Democrat has to kiss these leaders' butts?

Not only is this kind of thinking foolish, it gives credence to the notion that too many black people are suffering from the crabs-in-the-barrel-syndrome.

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How many of you shuddered when you read Earline Wasp's quote that appeared in a Sun-Times article, "Murder on the Move" that ran in Wednesday's paper:

"I am on my way. I am fittin' to move," said Wasp, who grew up in Altgeld and is raising a 10-year-old son there. "To me it's like the devil's playground. It's where everybody come and do they dirt. I want to get my son out of here."

I received several calls from readers who questioned the motives behind the editor's decision not to clean up Wasp's English. While many of us laugh at Mayor Daley's awkward and ungrammatical speech, Wasp embarrasses many of us.

There are too many negative portrayals of blacks in the media for many of us to appreciate the authentic beauty of "fittin."

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From: BlackPlanet.com survey (released on Dec. 12, 2006):

70% of respondents say racial profiling is as prevalent as 20 years ago;

74% have been victims of racial profiling in past year;

76% believe the shooting of Sean Bell in Queens was racially motivated;

New York and Los Angeles cited as cities with worst police brutality problems.

An overwhelming majority – 82% – do not feel that the United States justice system treats African Americans as fairly as it treats other ethnicities, specifically Caucasians.

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed believe that race relations in the United States are currently headed in the wrong direction. Fourteen percent, however, believe race relations are headed in the right direction and 13% believe race relations are fine at the present moment.

Police Brutality in U.S. Cities

When asked about police brutality against African Americans, survey respondents indicated that brutality is widespread across the country. Respondents were divided on which U.S. city has the worst police brutality problem:
➢ Los Angeles (18%), New York (18%), New Orleans (11%), Atlanta (8%), Detroit (8%), Washington D.C. (8%), Chicago (8%), Philadelphia (6%), Cincinnati (5%)

Racial Profiling

Seventy percent of survey respondents believe that racial profiling of African Americans is as prevalent today as it was twenty years ago. Seventy-four percent claim that they have been victims of profiling in the last year, and 37% feel they have been profiled within the past six months.

Those who had been racially profiled cited the following as the locations/circumstances of their profiling:
➢ In retail stores (27%), while driving (21%), on the street (15%), at the airport (6%)

Sixty-two percent of respondents reported that racial profiling is never appropriate, even when carried out as a security measure at airports or United States borders.

Fifty percent said that they would be afraid for their physical safety if they were pulled over by a police officer at night. Under the same circumstances, 65% said they would not feel afraid if they were Caucasian.

The Killing of Sean Bell in Queens

Seventy-two percent of respondents had noticed media coverage of the death of Sean Bell, an African American who was shot and killed by undercover cops in Queens on November 25th, 2006. Fifty-one percent feel that this is another example of the police profiling African American men. Twenty-three percent wanted to wait for more information before forming a judgment – and only 1% believe the police action was justified and probably an act of self defense.

New York police officers fired fifty shots during the incident. Seventy-six percent of survey respondents agree that fewer shots would have been fired had Bell and his friends been Caucasian.

An Unjust Outcome?

Fifty-nine percent of respondents feel that New York City officials have handled the situation poorly. Their expectations of the trial’s outcome are:
➢ Unfair Acquittal (40%)
➢ Unfair Conviction (12%)
➢ Fair Conviction (11%)
➢ Fair Acquittal (4%)

The margin of error for the survey is + 4.9 percent.

For more information on Community Connect, log on to www.communityconnect.com.

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