This is a two-part college basketball question: (1) Before all the action begins, I would like you to pick 2 of the 4 teams that you believe will be in the Final Four this year. Each region of the country has a few strong contenders. (2) I know that I am in the minority on the following, but hey, I will say it anyway; "I think this is March Sadness for African-American college basketball players, because this time of year is the apex of their exploitation!" There I said, but anyway, is this "March Madness, March Sadness or March Badness" time for college basketball? It is okay to disagree with me on either or both of these. I would just like to know your takes on these 2 quick questions. Thanks. Roanoke, Virginia is often called the "Star City". Who are famous African-Americans (past and present) with roots in the Valley? The first ones that come to mind for me (KOH) are Booker T. Washington (from Franklin County - legendary world leader), Oliver Hill (Roanoke - late civil rights attorney), Oscar Micheaux (Harlem Renaissance filmmaker), Charles "Big Dog" Thornhill (Roanoke - '60s college football) and Al Holland (Roanoke - major league baseball), but there must be many others before them and since from all throughout the Valley (including the surrounding counties) - and from all professions. We would like to post this so that the world will see our stars! This will be compiled, updated regularly and listed at: http://roanokerelatives.weebly.com/roanoke.html. This list is of all African-Americans from the Valley, not just relatives. In 2012 there are thousands of colleges and universities to choose from, and most of those colleges offer fields of study (majors and minors) that should make you employable. With that said, would you personally want to attend a college or university in 2012 that has less than 20 African-American freshmen (freshpersons)? The University of the Pacific in Stockton, California needs to now demonstrate a better result, but it is not alone unfortunately. Did you know that African-Americans are perhaps the nation’s largest or second largest ethnic group, surpassing the other six largest ethnic groups; English-Americans, Irish-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Italian-Americans, Cuban-Americans and German-Americans? I have lived in Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, New York and California. When I first posted this question, someone emailed me and said, "what are you trying to do, start a revolution?" I replied, "No, I am just trying to create some honest dialogue...long overdue." Race is still such a big issue in this country and beyond, yet we rarely even honestly talk about it with our own white and other non-black relatives and friends. We have many white relatives and friends here on Facebook, which is a very, very safe environment, yet we avoid this big elephant in the room. Why is this? Second and third questions; What are your thoughts about race and racism or the Trayvon Martin murder in Florida. These questions are asked directly to our non-black relatives and friends (and some of my students who know how I love to provoke discussions). Of course anyone and everyone can add insight to this topic. By the way, even though true friendships transcend color, it is too easy to just say, "I don't see color." :) Thanks, KOH. What should the young boys in our family be told about growing up African-American in 2012? Any danger signs? Any advantages? What lessons can we learn from this sad story (as our hearts go out to his family)? Should we care? |
Keith Orlando Hilton, PhD
Feel free to leave comments (even corrections) on any of these posts (old and current ones) at any time. Archives
September 2015
Categories
All
|