Spencer receives Legacy Award in Memphis and goes one on one with Larry Bird

He left the cotton fields of Mississippi for Detroit and Pershing High School and the rest is American sport’s history.  Pershing High School won the 1967 Class A state championship, five other players from that team would eventually become pro athletes.

Spencer attended Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colorado, during the 1967-68 college season, where he averaged 28.2 points and 22.1 rebounds per game. Due to his exceptional performance and talent, Haywood made the USA Olympic Basketball team in 1968.  Spencer was the leading scorer on the USA’s gold medal winning basketball team. He average 16.1 points per game, and he set a USA field goal percentage record of .719.  Spencer was only 19 years-old, the youngest player to ever make a U. S. Olympic team.  He held the Olympic scoring record until Kevin Durant (NBA Thunder) broke it in 2012.

Remember, this was the year that many black athletes boycotted the 1968 Olympic Games because of the overt racism.  Kareem Adul Jabar was one of those athletes whose absent created a slot for Spencer Haywood.  He was in the right place at the right time.

I will never forget the historical sight of sprinters John Carlos and Tommy Smith standing on the podium with black gloved fist raised to the sky protesting.  They were both banished from the games.  This would be a watershed moment for the 19 year-old Spencer Haywood.

Spencer returned to Detroit thinking he was going enroll at the University where he would play for his Godfather, the great Wil Robinson.  Coach Rob had been promised the head coaching job, but the school reneged on its promise.

Despite his disappointment, Spencer averaged 32 points and 22 rebounds for the Titans in his sophomore year. But that turned out to be his swan song.  He bolted for the ABA an upstart pro basketball league in what would become a landmark move and decision.

Spencer remembered the ABA saying to him, “We didn’t get Kareem, but we are going to go after you.” And I’m thinking, ‘How are you going to do that? ” During that time, the NBA had the ‘four-year rule,’ preventing a player from turning pro until his four years of college eligibility were up.

Haywood said. “I was a sophomore going into my junior year, and they said, ‘Well, we’re going to take the chance, we’re going to explain it to the press about why this happened.’

“When I decided to go, the NCAA and everybody went crazy, the NBA went crazy. They said the ABA is renegade people, they can’t do that, what’s wrong with you?”

As Piston’s Hall of Fame resident Dave Bing put it, “He wrecked the ABA in 1969-70, leading the league in scoring (30 points per game) and rebounds (19.5).”

“All of a sudden, Denver reneged on the contract I had signed, because they knew I couldn’t go back to college and I couldn’t go to the NBA,” Haywood said.

“So Sam Schulman (owner of the NBA’s Seattle Super Sonics) came in and said, ‘We want to break the NBA four-year rule, because we can’t compete with the ABA if they get all the good players.’ He signed me to a contract, and he says, ‘Don’t you worry about a thing, because we’re going to go in the first round of the courts, and the NBA will give in, because they know it’s the wave of the future.’

That case, Haywood vs. National Basketball Association, went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately backed Haywood by a 7-2 vote, saying athletes had the same rights as everyone else to make a living.

Spencer went on to a 12-year NBA career, scoring 19.2 points per game with 9.4 rebounds. He was a four-time NBA All-Star, and also played two seasons in Italy before retiring in 1983 from the Washington Bullets.

His stats and dominating performance alone more than qualified him to be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame decades ago.  Instead, he had to wait 27 years while the-powers-to-be tried to run him back mentally to the cotton fields in Mississippi.  They made him practically beg for acceptance in their hall of fame.

He had to prove himself all over again to show he was worthy (which is the America way).  Spencer was asked to perform community service by the NBA to help assist them to see if he had earned entry.  This was so ironic, because he was in the community his entire NBA career, the only NBA player who cared longer was Dave Bing.  Spencer’s priority has always been our youth.

I remember one show when a female caller called him a hero and saying we needed more positive role models like him, he didn’t agree.  His response was “I am sorry to say, if your child has to look beyond his or her dinner table for their heroes, you have a problem.” 

This double-standard was a hard-ship for Spencer, even though I was not there during his NBA after life of Trials and Tribulations; having to prove himself all over again. I felt his pain, he was too proud to beg, but he was left little choice.

I knew Spencer Haywood “The Man” who would do anything for a friend.  He is a proud and honest individual, and when he gave you his word, you could carry it to the bank.  I thank my mentor, NBA color analyst and playground basketball legend Sonny Hill for introducing me to Spencer.

He was by no means perfect, but still I would jump over ten of any other “Pro athlete Sacred Cow” (Ali and Red Auerbach exception to this rule) to get to him.

He was someone you could trust and you knew he had your back in the good times and the bad.

Drugs can often make the user paranoid, but I remember having only one bad experience with Spencer during our relationship.

He was a regular on my radio talk show Inside Sports, he participated in my Kids In Trouble, Inc Youth forums, we played one on one tennis (he kicked my ass) and we hung out in jazz clubs in DC and Detroit together.  He is a jazz fanatic and was a jazz radio talk show host in Detroit.

Spencer standing tall at KIT Youth Violence forum in DC / co-host Tom Davis (R-Va.) & NFL Legend Jim Brown

He hosted the Inside Sports You Tube College Basketball Round Table, special guest were Mike Jarvis (George Washington U), Clarence ‘Bighouse’ Gaines (Winston-Salem State), Gary Williams (Maryland U), John Chaney (Temple U), and Butch Beard of Howard U).

I think Ken Griffey, Jr. summed it up best for me, when he was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  He was asked by members of the sports media about the players left out because of alleged steroid use. His response was on the one, he said, “They were Hall of Fame players before they started using steroids.”

The same can be said of Spencer Haywood, he was definitely a NBA Hall of Famer before the drugs and the stupid mistakes he made during that down period in his “After NBA Life!”  If drugs are the yard stick the NBA selection committee is using for induction, the hall should be half empty.

As he was being honored in Memphis during the celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday, he said, “To be here at the Wright Museum, the largest repository of black history in the world. Here I am here being honored, a poor boy from the cotton fields of Silver City, Miss., to Detroit, to here, it don’t get no better than that.”

I am happy that Spencer Haywood can now rest in peace and stand even taller despite, the many naysayers who are now patting him on the back, instead of stabbing him in the back. And the NBA smiling faces who told lies.

There are those who may want his legacy to be breaking the “four-year rule” but the NBA stats proved, he put ‘The Power’ in the NBA Power Forward and earned his way into the NBA Hall of Fame. I was a witness.  Peace and blessings my friend.

Note Worthy/ http://www.nba.com/halloffame/ Spencer’s Hall of Fame acceptance speech

Someone once said, “If you don’t know your history you are bound to repeat it.”  The problem, some people who don’t know their history or don’t have a history, they don’t want others to have or own a history.

In the 1950s my wife Hattie Thomas Bell and her mother Elease Thomas along with her siblings were “Foot soldiers” in the early days of the Civil Rights’ movement in Orangeburg, S.C.  Her father Dr. Charles H. Thomas, Jr. was President of the local chapter of the NAACP.  He was often seen holding down picket lines with no one else in sight, but his family.   He was also seen leading members in the ministry in downtown boycotts or he could be seen collecting Hattie and her siblings from the city jail after putting his house up as collateral to bail them out along with other students who had been arrested.  He was voted into the Black South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2007.

Dr. Charles H. Thomas, Jr. marched with Dr. Martin Luther King.  He made Civil Rights a family affair. Photos: he is seen in downtown Orangeburg, asking for “Freedom Now”or collecting his jailbird children, L-R Loretta, Hattie T in shades and brother Reggie. The black women behind the black man, Mommy T and oldest child Hattie T.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was just a face in the crowd at an Orangeburg, S. C. NAACP rally organized by Dr. Charles H. Thomas, Jr. in the early-50s. 

I started the week Monday January 11, 2016 by deleting names from my extensive telephone Rolodex of friends who I am no longer in touch with and ones who were now deceased.  I re-discovered two old friends, with whom I had not spoken to in at least five years.  They were once Kids In Trouble board members, Santa’s Helpers and confidants, Ms. Betty Clegg and Ms. Rachel Kennedy (Masters Degree).  They are now retired teachers and administrators in the DC Public Schools, both are like sisters I never had.

I had three other meetings that day, including stopping into visit with Rachel. When I called the house to say hello and wish her a Happy New Year, her friend Paul answered the phone.  It was then I discovered she had a stroke on a cruise during the Christmas holidays and she was in the Washington Hospital Center in a coma. The next day I went to the hospital to see her, several days later I took Hattie to visit.  Paul had told me on my first visit, she could hear what was going on around her.  Hattie read to her (get well wish cards).  Rachel responded by blinking her eyes—she made our day.

I had been surrounded by heroes all day, starting with Ms. Davis, and sitting with Ms. Kennedy.  Her story is truly remarkable.

Her late husband Henry Kennedy, Sr. was like a big brother to me.  He worked in the Post Office, and she was a DC school teacher.  They put three children through college, two grads from Harvard (Henry Jr. and Randy), and daughter grad from Princeton.  Angela was a classmate of of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Santa’s Helper Rachel Kennedy / Fox Trappe Santa’s Helpers, L-R son Randy and husband Henry Sr. on extreme right and Judge Henry Kennedy, Jr.

Her late husband Henry Kennedy, Sr. was like a big brother to me.  Rachel lives two blocks from Coolidge HS. The day turned out to be a cross/country city run but at the end of the day it was worth it.

On Thursday January 14, 2016 I met with the Head of Cemeteries for the State of Maryland, Ms. Marilyn Davis and her lead investigator Ms. Brenda Rappozzi at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery in Prince Georges County. They had drove in from their home office in Baltimore, Maryland.

I have had a complain and issues with Ft. Lincoln Cemetery since 2007 related to missing crypts.  Long story short—issue resolved.  After ID of our crypt Ft. Lincoln agreed to place a fully engraved memorial marker on our crypt spot at no cost to us.  Proving government can work when you have good people like Ms. Davis in place to cut through the Red Tape. She was very professional and a class act.

L-R Deborah Rappozzi, family friend Andrew Johnson, Hattie T, HB and Marilyn Davis

I also want to thank Prince Georges County Atty. Charles Kenney for referring me to Ms. Davis from the very beginning.  She wasted no time in assigning Ms. Rappozzi her lead investigator to the case.  I know we complain that government sometimes does not work for the people (I am guilty), but there are rare birds like Ms. Davis who are not sitting around on their hands.  There is little doubt she is in the war zones of the struggle.

When I think of Baltimore I think of two other black hero women in the struggle, the Mayor and Prosecutor of the six police officers charged in the death of Freddy Gray.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Prosecutors Marilyn Mosby saved lives during the riots in Baltimore after the murder of Freddy Gray.  If they had not stepped in and taken charge blood would have been flowing in the streets.  If these cops are not found guilty it will be back to “Business as usual” in the black community as it relates to police brutality. There are some Good Cops in our communities who want to be Good Cops but the system is so embedded with Bad Cops, the Good Cops are intimidated to go along to get along.  Thanks to the KKK like existent of the Thin Blue Line, Code of Silence and corrupt unions.

The most remarkable thing about Thursday January 14, 2015 was when the day had ended, I realized I had spoken to and had met with some of the most remarkable black women in my life time (Black American History).  These hero athletes, politicians and pimps in the pulpit seen as trailblazers are often the blind leading the blind.

There were meetings with my ITT folks and a publisher at the I Hop Restaurant right down the road from the cemetery at 5 pm (full circle).

During the meeting at the I Hop, I looked around and I was sitting with three PhD’s, Dr. Catherine Williams (Publisher), Dr. Janice Mitchell (writer, educator and editor), Dr. Mattie Giles (Educator & Consultant) and my wife Hattie T (Masters Degree).  I had called and spoken  to old friends like Carolyn Blount, the Publisher and Editor of About Time Magazine in Rochester, NY.

Sitting in the company and talking to these black women of academia, I felt like the “Big Dummy” my college football coach Bighouse Gaines often called me back in the day when I decided to run my own pass patterns.

This was better than sitting in a meeting with Muhammad Ali, Red Auerbach, Jim Brown and some other All-Pro athletes. These black women are the real super-stars in the Game Called life. How many times have I said, “My heroes were black women?  While listening to them chit-chat during dinner, I felt like 007 James Bond (spy) and an outsider.  I wanted to turn on my video camera to capture some of “The common sense nuggets” they were discussing and then copy the conversation to politicians on Capitol Hill.  I wanted them to hear some common sense solutions to many of our problems, but my battery was dead.

My heroes were much like these black women, they could not kick a football 60 yards in the air, shoot a jump shot or hit a baseball out of the stadium, but they were Super-Stars in the Game Called Life, meet Grandma Bell and Mommy B.

Amy Tyler Bell (aka Grandma Bell) and her crew of grands and Mattie Bell (aka Mommy B) and her boys and younger brother Tyrik (aka Puddin, Billy, William).

Dr. Janice Mitchell is not only an educator and editor, but she also holds a Black Belt in the martial arts and sits on the board of the oldest black martial arts organization in the World, Simba Da Jang.  Her late husband Scotty Mitchell, also held a black belt and was a pillar in the community when it came to Civil Rights.

Seated: Simba Da Jang founders 10th Degree Black Belts, Furman Marshall (also founder of Black Ski) and Phil Cunningham.  In November 2015 I was honored to be named the first civilian to sit on the Advisory Board of the organization.  Dr. Janice Mitchell is standing directly behind me.  My only belt was the one I was wearing.

Dr. Catherine Williams is President and CEO of STEPS, LLC.  Her academic credentials include; a Bachelor’s degree in French from Norfolk State University (Norfolk, VA); a Masters in Urban Administration from Georgia State University (Atlanta, GA); Masters of Divinity from Virginia Union University, School of Theology (Richond, VA).  and a Doctorate in Public Administration from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). After completing graduate school, she maintained dual careers, college professor (Hampton University) and owner of a consulting business.  She was CEO and President of Institute for Academic Coaching and Counseling which provided tutoring, mentoring, self-esteem, karate and parenting programs for inner-city youth and adults.

Dr. Mattie Giles received her doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. She served as a member on the faculty of the University of the District of Columbia for 35 years.  She was the Chairperson of the DC Regulatory Commission serving two term appointments, one each by by Mayor Marion Barry and Mayor Anthony Williams.  She said one of her proudest moments during the Civil Rights movement was participating in The March on Washington in 1963.  Dr. Giles volunteered as a Big Sister for the Little Sisters in the Washington metropolitan area and was a Santa’s Helper for Kids In Trouble, Inc.

In a hour long telephone conversation with Carolyn Blount (spent mostly with her husband Jim talking sports) we tried to catch up and thank God that we were still in this Game of Life.  About Time Magazine is truly an amazing story in media history.  Only God knows how this magazine and this husband and wife team have held on operating with a year to year shoestring budget and broken promises.

Jim and Carolyn Blunt publishers of About Time Magazine were honored with The Kids In Trouble Life Time Achievement Award.

I closed out week (Saturday) in the company of another remarkable Black Woman, Ms. Virginia Ali.  Her and husband the late Ben Ali found the World famous Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, DC in 1958.

The brain trust behind the success of Ben’s Chili Bowl, CEO son Kamal Ali and matriarch Virginia Ali.  The University of Stanford basketball team and native Washingtonians, head coach Johnny Dawkins and Assistant coach Mookie Payne stop by the Chili Bowl for a hot dog on the way to Europe during a school break.

I am the Historian for Ben’s Chili Bowl, as a fourth generation Washingtonian, I have lived the history of the U Street, NW corridor, once known as “Black Broadway!”  The Chili Bowl now has 7 locations in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DMV).

All these great black women I was meeting with led me into the January birthday celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King and leading me into the Black History Month of February.  We should be celebrating Black History 365 days of the year.

Hattie and I finally dragged our selves back home around 8 pm.  Black Women, thanks for all that you do and try to do for others. Thanks for keeping hope alive and trying to hold up black men. God bless.

Note Worthy: We must not forget the great Dr. Frances Cress Welsing who died two weeks ago even though major media outlets like the Washington Post would like for us to. She was the forerunner in modern day black history who called a spade a spade when came to exposing the genetic components of racism in American.  Her memorial services has been removed from Howard University’s Crampton Auditorium (thank God).  It was there the powers-to-be refused to renew her tenure as a professor in 1971 after the papers she wrote on racism where nationally recognized.  The services will now be held the same date but a different place. Mark on your calendar, Saturday January 23, 2016 at Metropolitan AM & E Church located at 15th and M Streets, NW from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm.  Please come out to honor this hero in the Civil Rights Movement.

Dr. Al-Tony Gilmore and I listen as Dr. Welsing discuss racism in America on Inside Sports. 

Let me introduce you to my friend Omar Tyree via e-mail.  He is a bestselling author for literary giant Simon & Shuster.

From: “Omar Tyree” <omar8tyree@aol.com>

Sent: Monday, January 4, 2016 9:24:47 PM

Subject: Omar Tyree / Where Are We Now Song

Greetings All,

It’s the new year of 2015 and as promised, here is the final “Where Are We Now?” spoken word song Master to begin the sharing, uploading and the SPREADING THE WORD process especially to the college crowd radio and student body as I continue to shop my February tour.

The completed YouTube video will be on the way before this weekend is up…

Sincerely,

Omar Tyree

704-564-4978

These books best describe the life story of Omar Tyree      

This is his Little Known Black History Fact in his early story book relationship with Kids In Trouble, Inside Sports and Harold Bell.  You don’t have to worry about seeing this story published in a Simon & Shuster book.

To make a long story short, when Omar was a student at Howard University (back in the day) and writing a column for the Capital Spotlight a DC community newspaper, I was his mentor and shoulder to cry on as it related to trying to survive as a black man in this Game Called Life (sound familiar?).

He went on to become a millionaire as a author for literary giant Simon & Shuster (according to him). He lost it all chasing the music business and the Hollywood Spotlight (his words).  During his high profile period during his literary career (Fly Girls) I tried my best to get him to assist me in writing my book.  I chased him down at book stores and book signings, but never could get a commitment from him to help me (what else is new).

He fell on hard times without me knowing, but I still stayed in touch by telephone, e-mail.  We met and had lunch while I was in his hometown of Charlotte, NC for the annual CIAA Basketball tournament. Years later he would confess “I am dead broke I made some bad investments chasing stardom via the music business in Hollywood and trying helping my family.”

Hold on to your seat belts for this next one, he asked to borrow $5,000 from me for a book project that would help him to get back on his feet and he would repay me with interest.  I could not believe what I was reading in the e-mail.

He got a break when the late Marion Barry asked him to be write his life story, “Mayor for Life.”

Omar called me and said, “I think I just got that break I was looking for, Marion Barry has asked me to help write his book, but I don’t know anything about him!”

Marion was aware that he should  keep his distant from NBC TV 4 newsman Tom Sherwood and Washingtonian Magazine’s writer Harry Jaffe.  They were “Bad News” they tried their best to abuse and misuse their media access to him for their own financial good.  I told Marion to run when he saw them coming!

Omar was the perfect foil for Marion; no one has ever called Marion “A dam fool” to his face but me.  And that was after I told him that the FBI was trying to sit him up and he should lay low and stay out of the streets for minute.  This encounter took place on the parking lot of Face’s Restaurant, the home where the so-called In-Crowd hung out in NW DC.

The eye-witness to this conversation was his security man DC Police officer William Stays.  Marion’s response, ‘Harold, thanks man, but I have everything under control.’  It was then I said, ‘Marion you are a dam fool’ he smiled and walked back into the restaurant. Stays looked at me and threw his hands up in the air and said, ‘You tried!’ Six months later ‘The Bitch Sit Him Up!’ You won’t read that in the book ‘Mayor for Life.’

His last media stop before heading to jail was Inside Sports.  My talk show was heard on W-U-S-T Radio. I remember it was on a late Saturday evening.  My former college teammate and roommate, Dr. Arnold McKnight (DC Boxing Commissioner) had called me the night before saying that Marion might be coming by the station to apologize for not listening to me.

I was halfway through the show when my producer Salim Edwards pointed to the main entrance behind me signaling that I had guest.  It was Marion and Dr. McKnight headed to the studio.  Marion had this big grin on his face, he seem to be in good spirits.  This was his first guest appearance on Inside Sports since the show first aired in 1970.  He never apologized on the air, but as I was walking him out he turned and shook my hand and said, “Keep telling the truth I should have listen to you.”

There were many who thought Marion and I were bitter enemies, but the truth was we played tennis occasionally on the tennis courts near his home in Hillcrest Heights SE.  We talked sports all the time, especially, the Redskins.  He liked to gamble and I remember we made a bet when he was in the Riddick Bowe boxing camp.  I took Evander Holyfield to beat Bowe in their second meeting.  We were at the Hillcrest tennis courts and he was talking loud about how Bowe was going to knock Holyfield out for my amusement.  I went over to him and asked “How much you want to bet”?  His response was ‘make it light on yourself.’   I said, ‘A thousand’ and he said ‘hell no!’  He then said, ‘A hundred’ and I said ‘you are betting with scare money?’  We finally settled on five hundred.  Holyfield beat Bowe in a big upset.  Marion didn’t know I had inside information that Bowe was out of shape and could not keep his ding-a-ling in his pants.  Eddie Futch his legendary trainer was threatening to quit if Bowe didn’t get his act together.  I took advantage of that information, because I knew Holyfield would be coming into the ring in tip-top shape and I was right.

It took me three months to catch up with Marion to get my money.  I walked into Face’s for lunch one day and there he was holding court.  He saw me coming and reached into his suit coat pocket and torn off five one-hundred dollar money orders and his only words were, “How did you know?”  I said, ‘They don’t call me Inside Sports for nothing!” 

Marion, using Omar was a smart move.  Omar, had the hook-up with Simon & Shuster and the name credibility and he was broke.

His latest e-mail means he has finally been paid.  Omar’s agreement with Simon & Shuster was to be paid on “The Come” meaning a certain amount of books had to be sold before he saw a dollar bill.

This Negro, I want to use the N word so bad it hurts, but once ESPN’s Michael Wilbon went on National television and told everyone that it was okay to use the N word among family and friends, I promised my wife that I would try to abstain from using it.  This was after Wilbon and I had sit in the Wizard’s media press room and he told me that his bosses at ESPN wanted him to go on “Outside the Lines” to discuss the use of the N word.

He said, ‘Harold Bell, I am refusing to participate, because the white host Steve Levy has no horse in the race.’  I was so proud of Michael, I almost cried, but I stayed cool.  My cool didn’t last long, on the following Sunday on ‘Outside the Lines’ whom do I see sitting front and center defending the use of the now dreaded N word, its Michael Wilbon. I firmly believe there are times like this I should get a pass, so I broke my promise and used the N word in front of my wife. I said “I cannot believe that N just said that!”  Hattie looked at me and my response was, ‘he just said it was okay to use the word in front of family and friends.’ She just shook her head.  By the way, Wilbon can do no wrong when it comes to my wife.

Now here comes Omar Tyree with an offer he thinks I cannot refuse because I am broke!  He has the nerve to ask me, “Man, see if you can make a contact for me in Floyd Mayweather’s camp.  I would love to cut a deal to write his life story.  Simon & Shuster would jump all over that deal and I will cut you in.  And put in a good word with Ben’s Chili Bowl about me writing their story.”  I wanted say N please again, but I was cool and I would guess that is why I am still broke.

I learned a long time ago money does not make you a free man in America, ask Radio One Fly Jock Tom Joyner, if money makes you free?  Freedom ain’t FREE.

Omar met his responsibility by helping with the editing and allowing his name to be used, I cannot blame him for that.  I do blame him for not reaching back to help someone he once called a “mentor”, but he is par for the course in our Black World (the list is too long for me to mention).

His latest rap song as he tries to return to his world of Milk & Honey is appropriate “Where Are We Now Song!”  His follow up song should be, ‘Where I once was and forgot!’

Dr. Welsing and Dr. Gilmore have my undivided attention on their guest appearance on Inside Sports in December 1972

When I received the sad news of the passing of Dr. Frances Cress Welsing at the age of 80 in an e-mail from Dr. Al-Tony Gilmore, I had to step away from the computer and take a deep breath.  Back in the day she was like a sister I never had.

I had no idea her age, because I always thought she was younger and definitely smarter. There were no better interviews then Dr. Welsing and Dr. Harry Edwards when it came to the topic of Human Rights.  She was a regular guest on Inside Sports in the 70s.

I tried my best to book Jim Brown or Dr. Harry Edwards on the show when I had Dr. Welsing but it was always a scheduling conflict.  The show would have been a master piece on racism, today and yesterday. This would have been one of those shows where birds of a feather flocked together—three brilliant minds to include, Dr. Gilmore joining Dr. Welsing in studio.

Dr. Welsing never got the props that she deserved.  She was “Black Balled” by a HUCB, Howard University.  She was an assistant professor of pediatrics in the school of medicine.

In 1974 her paper the “Cress Theory of Color-Confrontation” received national attention and the Powers-To-Be at this historical black college decided not to renew her tenure.

After her sudden departure from Howard University she would spend the next two decades as a staff physician for the Department of Human Services here in DC.

Howard University wanted nothing to do with her while she was living but now celebrates her in death.  On Saturday January 23, 2016 there will be a Memorial from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm held in her honor at Crampton Auditorium on the campus of Howard University—how ironic.

The one thing we had in common was her love of children.  During her tenure at the Department of Human Services she was a specialist in both child and general psychiatry, gaining particular acclaim for her work with young people.

Dr. Welsing was also a celebrated scholar who studied the origins of white supremacy from a psychological and biological perspective.  She was also, a proponent of the “Melanin Theory,” which espouses black superiority due to a higher concentration of melanin in people of African descent.  Her theory did not go over too well in major media.  The proof is in the pudding, check out the obituary columns in the Washington Post since her death two weeks ago.

As a psychiatrist, Dr. Welsing used Freudian symbolism to explain white supremacy, including the interpretation of guns, money, the cross and gold.  She has faced some controversy regarding her stance on homosexuality, which she said was imposed on black men by whites who wanted to reduce the Africa population.

Dr. Welsing, is perhaps best known for her 1991 book, The Isis Papers, which reportedly came about after 20 years of research and analysis from her private practice. It is considered required reading for those interested in the psychological origins and manifestations of white supremacy.

If you are looking for a story on this great lady in major media as it relates to her outstanding work and contributions to American History, don’t hold your breath.

Greg Carr, head of Howard University Department of Afro-American Studies, said it best, “The fact that she was largely unknown and/or caricatured when discussed at all in white public discourse reflect the tremendous gap that continues between black and white public spheres.

Dr. Frances Cress Welsing was a warrior and a stand-up lady that I admired and respected.  Dr. Welsing will truly be missed.  RIP my sister.

https://www.facebook.com/lovebeingblack/videos/10152912033031928/?theater / Dr. Welsing was black and proud

Open Letter to Alvin Attles and similar Player-Haters who hide behind the cloak of anonymity and he say, she say!

When I coined the phrase for my radio talk show Inside Sports in 1970 “Every black face you see is not your brother and every white face you see is not your enemy” it was black men like you I had in mind.

Racism in America will always be here because some white folks don’t really understand racism.  The reason, they never had to walk in our shoes.  But black men like you should know better!

Alvin Attles, white folks don’t have a patent on racism, that patent often extends to the black community and reaches out and touches black men like you.

My friend Mike Cooper was a former outstanding Michigan State running back and a Philadelphia sports legend.  He forewarned me about you over a decade ago.  I value Mike’s friendship because he has been a stand-up brother since I first met him with his best friend NFL legend, the late great Johnny Sample here in DC.

Mike was the last player cut by then Redskin coach Bill McPeak in the 60s.   Johnny thought there were politics involved in the cut and confronted the coach.  McPeak promised to bring Mike back to the “Taxi-square” but he never did.  I was impressed because Johnny went to bat for his friend without thinking about the consequences (job security and being labeled a trouble-maker).  The Redskins during that time were just fresh out of the woods of being the last team in the NFL to play and hire a black player.

It would be decades later that Johnny, Mike, and I would leave the funeral of Wilt Chamberlain to look for a restaurant to get something to eat.  It was during this sit down the subject was broached about how many players Wilt had carried during his NBA playing career and to my surprise your name was the first name that came out of Mike’s mouth.

Memorial service for The Big Dipper, the great Wilt Chamberlain in his hometown of Philadelphia,  the city of brotherly love.

He said, “That ass-kissing Uncle Tom Al Attles should be at the top of the list.  I don’t know why that nigger thinks he deserves to be in the NBA Hall of Fame.  He could not play dead, he is lucky he played with Wilt.  He could not shoot so he became a defensive specialist with Wilt covering his ass.  He then sucked the owner’s dick to get a piece of the team” Johnny broke out laughing.

This reminded me of the interview I once had with NBA legend and Boston Celtic great Sam Jones.  He said, “Wilt easily could have been just as great or greater a defensive player as Bill Russell but he didn’t have the supporting cast.”

Alvin Attles, I had heard the stories of how you had lobbied Wilt, Wayne Emery and others to help get you inducted into the hall and your growing up in the mean streets of Newark was bullshit.  You attended Catholic School and your parents were middle-class and you never missed a meal.  It sounds like you and John Thompson have similar stories and backgrounds.  His growing up in the “Mean Streets of DC” is another lie.

But I never take what someone tells me about another person as the gospel, but what impressed me about Mike’s character assassination, he said, “When and if you see or talk to that MF you can use my name.”

The other thing that struck me odd during the discussion Johnny never tried to defend you and it looked like (by body language only) he was in total agreement.  I sit there in silence.  I could not defend you because everyone at the table knew you better than me.

Unlike too many of us when we talk negative about each other in the black community the first thing we say is, “I want to remain anonymous.”  Mike didn’t take that option, so I made a mental note.

The thing I loved about Johnny Sample, if he wanted to say something about you, he said it to your face and not behind your back.  He was a man’s man in every sense of the word on and off the field of play.  Johnny and Mike—were birds of a feather who flocked together.

I remember when Johnny was finally inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame (Central Inter-Collegian Athletic Association) it was long overdue delayed only by envy and jealousy.  During his introduction he asked me stand up.  He introduced me as The Original Inside Sports and how I had encouraged him to go into sports talk radio.  You could have heard a mouse piss on cotton.

When Johnny died I was in Philadelphia for his home going services.  I was named an Honorary Pall Bearer.   Mike and I connected again; we talked about the loyalty and honesty of Johnny Sample as a true friend.  He said, “What you saw was what you got with ‘Reds.”  My response, ‘he was not perfect, but I could always carry his word to the bank.”  How well a man keeps his word has always been important to me.

Johnny ‘Red Ball’ Sample is the only player in pro football history to win two Super Bowls in two different leagues (NFL Baltimore Colts and AFL NY Jets).

During the Warriors run for the 2015 NBA Championship Mike brought your name up again in one of our telephone conversations.  He asked, “Is your boy going to get you an interview with the Coach Kerr or Stephan Curry for your radio show?”  My response, ‘he won’t even return my calls or answer the phone.’ 

I didn’t have a clue to what your problem was because I have always treated you and your wife with nothing but love and respect since we first met in 1959.  I remember being introduced to you by my Winston-Salem State teammate and roommate, the late Arnold McKnight on the campus of North Carolina A & T.  Decades later he would also tell me of how he helped you get your Masters Degree while he was teaching in San Francisco.  You never attended a class, but again I reminded Mac that is what friends are for.  He saw sides of you I had not seen and you would cut corners like anyone else to get ahead by any means necessary—it is the America way!

The warning signs were all there, birds of a feather flock together.  In 1996 the ‘Fast Eddie’ of the NBA Bernie Bickerstaff was hired as the head coach of the Washington Bullets.  This was after he had sold out his friend and mentor K. C. Jones.  Bernie was telling folks he was the one really coaching the Bullets.  KC Jones was a laid back head coach and there was nothing insecure about him. He allowed Bernie to take over the huddle during time-outs only after they had agreed on the next move or strategy together.  But Bernie took advantage and began spreading the word among NBA official and that would eventually lead to KC’s demised and dismissal from the Bullets.

KC Jones and ‘Fast Eddie’ Bernie Bickerstaff visit Inside Sports at WOL Radio 

Thanks to the loyalty of his former coach and NBA icon Red Auerbach, KC was able to bounce back.  Red hired him to coach the Boston Celtics where he won an NBA Championship, proving God does not like ugly.     

Bernie moved on up the NBA ladder stepping on anyone in his way.  One of Bickerstaff’s first hires was your main man, former teammate and player Cliff Ray.  I had met Cliff through you during his playing days with the Warriors.  He and I became friends/associate once he arrived in DC.  Shortly after his arrival the Bullets traded for Portland Trail Blazer’s guard, Ron Strickland.

My introduction to Ron came by another member of your flock, Nike rep John Phillips.  He asked to keep and eye on Ron whom he thought to be a great ball player and decent young man, but he had a serious drinking problem.  It didn’t take Ron long to locate the bright lights in the big city of DC. The dubious characters came with the bright lights.  It was “A party over here and a party over there”after every home game.

I was driving on the U Street corridor one evening during the NBA season when this white cop car put on his sirens and  flashing lights and pulled me over, I am thinking this stop must be for a DWB “Driving While Black”.  I get an attitude right away, but I notice a young black cop getting out of the passenger side of the car and approach my car, it didn’t make feel any better until the officer said “Mr. Bell, my name is Tony Mac and every thing is cool!”

He explained he was a season ticket holder for the Bullets and had seen me talking with Ron Strickland after a game and he wanted to give me a heads up on him.  He said, “I hang out in the clubs around the city and I often bump into the Bullet players.  It is rumored that your boy has a serious drinking problem.  I was an eye witness late one night while leaving a club I watched as several of his buddies wrestled his keys from him to keep him from driving home.  Someone needs to have a serious talk with him and get him some help before he kills himself or someone else.”

My next question, “Who could I trust in the Bullets’ organization to handle this very delicate problem?”  My main man and friend the late native Washingtonian Hymie Perlo was the Bullets’ Community out-reach liason person.  But he was known to keep a bottle or two in his office to start and close his day.  I reached out to him anyway.  We decided that since I had a decent and talking relationship with Cliff Ray I should start there.

Cliff and I met out in the parking lot after practice one evening after practice and discussed Ron’s problem, we both agreed that he needed to handle this confidentially.  My name was not to be used under any circumstances.  We shook hands and he said “I got it!”

The next home game I headed to the locker room to interview the players.  I look up and see Ron making a bee line straight toward me yelling and cussing me out.  He called me a snitch and an informant.  I discovered Cliff Ray had taken the information and given it to Bernie Bickerstaff and he gave me up to Ron.  Since I am from the streets the last thing I wanted to be called was a snitch or informant.  The next time I saw Cliff all he could say was, “I didn’t know Bernie was going to give you up.”  I should not have been surprised, Bernie had his own drug abuse problems.

Hand and hand, Birds of a feather flocking together, player Cliff Ray and Coach Al Attles

Alvin Attles, I recall recently bumping into you at one of Wizards’ games when the Warriors were in town and I thought it strange you had not called just to say hello.  We talked at least several times a year and we always shared a Christmas card or call during the holidays.  But then I notice another strange vibe coming from your wife when I called you on the telephone.   It was puzzling because your wife didn’t really know me.  It finally dawned on me whatever bad vibes she was getting about me was evidently coming from you.  I had heard the whispers about your back stabbing buddies in the NBA but I never thought you were one of them.  Mike was right on the ONE!

I remember one Sunday morning (October 1978); I was sitting in the home of Coach Clarence Bighouse Gaines.  I was having breakfast during homecoming weekend with several other former players.  Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe and his main man and homeboy Steven Smith (affectionately known as Smithy) came into the kitchen laughingly saying, “Harold Bell your ears must be burning , the NBA Big Shots are talking about you in the league offices in New York City.”

Coach Bighouse Gaines once heard me bitching and complaining about what a terrible world this was, he looked at me and said, “son there is nothing wrong with the world, its the people in it!” A wake up call for me.

NBA legends Dave Bing and The Pearl go one on one

The discussion had to be about my recent meeting with NBA Head Counselor Gary Bettman (now NHL Commissioner), NBA Head of Security Horace Balmer (known as the Spook that Sit by the Door) and a NBA VP Ron Thorne.

NBA Nike Sports & Marketing rep John Phillips had been summoned to New York by the NBA Commissioner to discuss NBA players playing in a Charity All-Star Game scheduled to be played in the Virgil Islands that summer.  The Island was the home of LA Lakers’ star Michael Thompson.  Michael is now the Lakers radio color analyst; he was one of the organizers.  His son Klay presently plays for NBA Champions Golden State Warriors.

Sam Jones and I had just been hired by John to represent Nike in the DC market.  John asked me and Sam to attend the meeting with him in New York, Sam got scared and called in sick.

The meeting was a joke with Bettman being the clown in charge.  His only interest was to prevent the game from being played.  He wanted Nike and the players to get permission from the league office first.

During that time there were no guild-lines written into the player’s contract preventing them from playing in Summer League games or Charity All-Star games.  The NBA Player’s union that now represents the players was none-existent.

Bettman operating from The NBA Bully Pulpit became irritated with John who kept asking him to explain why the players could not play and why they could not as grown men make their own decisions?  Bettman blurted out “You guys can’t do this, we own the players!”

I could not believe my ears.  First, I had lived through and experienced up close and personal, Brown vs. Board of Education (1954), lunch counter sit-in in Greensboro, NC (1959), Rev. ML King’s march on Washington (1963), and the 1968 riots in DC after the assassination of Dr. King.  Here it is 1978 and I am in a meeting in New York City with NBA administrators telling us, the NBA owns the players!  That was not music to my ears.

My Spingarn high school basketball teammate Spotswood Bolling was the lead plaintiff in Bolling vs DC Board of Education in 1954 (piggybacking on the landmark Brown vs Board of Education).

I would guess my response was not music to Bettman’s ears, I said, “Now you are telling us that the NBA owns the players, when did the NBA become the new plantation?”  Once again you could hear a mouse piss on cotton, the silence was deafening.   Bettman waved his hand in the air walking out of the room with Thorne and Balmer closely following, saying, ‘This meeting is over and we will reschedule.’  We never heard from him again.

Like any good plantation owner they threaten and intimidated the players.  Michael Thompson called John to apologize but his hands were tied and we understood.  Magic Johnson who had participated the first year disappeared without a trace and changed his number.  Today I am thankful to Earl Monroe and Smithy for passing the NBA alert on to me.  They made the picture much clearer why you and your cohorts were in imperfect harmony as the unofficial Gate Keepers for the NBA.

Alvin Attles, you are really a disappointment because I treated you like a brother with much respect.   The thing that I don’t understand is why you so-called brothers wait until you are deep into your 70s before you start playing these childish player-hating elementary games.  The best way to describe this BS is Elementary.  Remember how little kids played “Tattle Tale” in elementary?  They would tell lie after lie on each other?  This is the same game but now played by old black men.

I also remember during the NBA All-Star Game played here in DC in 2000 how you took a step back when your boy and Nike rep John Phillips ripped me and my Kids In Trouble program off for our share of the Frito Lays sponsorship money.

One of your guys working for Frito Lays was responsible for us receiving the $33,000 sponsorship monies for the weekend festivities to honor Earl Lloyd.  The money was supposed to have been evenly divided between John’s non-profit and my non-profit KIT to take care of our expenses.  But for some reason he made the decision to spend the money on flying family and friends in from California.  To add insult to injury he made accommodations for them up in a 4 Star Hotel with tickets to the NBA All-Star Game all done without my knowledge.

I was blindsided and then I had to fight off the NBA who was also trying to sabotage my weekend plans to honor Earl Lloyd.  It didn’t help that Earl was trying to jump ship to another NBA sponsored event.  John’s fraud left me scrambling on how to meet my financial obligations for the NBA weekend festivities and how to keep Earl on board.

NBA legend Elvin Hayes has Nike rep John Phillips and my undivided attention as he thanks the fans and Nike for their support during NBA title run in 1978
NBA Godfather the late Red Auerbach pays tribute to NBA pioneer Earl Lloyd during KIT Black History Month in DC

Enter, my friend Red Auerbach, he saved the day when I had him call Earl to say “I will see you tonight.”  The tribute at the Bohemian Caverns Club was the only NBA weekend activity the great Red participated in and all the stars came out including you.  No one wanted to cross the great Red Auerbach.

You and Sonny Hill’s intervention probably saved John Phillips from me doing something stupid that I would have later regretted.  There is one thing I hate is for someone to take something from me or disrespect me.  The act always take me back to the streets and what I had to do to survive those homeless nights of sleeping in my aunt’s car in high school.  But those hard times provided the foundation and education for who I am today.

No matter how bad things got I never thought of selling drugs or becoming a stick-up artist—I could have easily become one or the other or both.  All the glory goes to God and my heroes, my grandmother and mother.   I thrived and survived because they instilled in me to believed in me.

When black folks like you talk behind other people’s backs they are usually cowards.  The black community is overrun with cowards.  I know “First Hand” because I have been from the Outhouse to the White House and your kind is everywhere.  The problem in our community we honor liars and thieves and the truth is often frown upon.

Let me list alphabetically some of your associates and friends who were benefactors and came through Inside Sports and Kids In Trouble before their 15 Minutes of Fame;

*Dave Aldridge (mentor)/ in a blog on NBA.com trying to support me, he screwed it up in one paragraph when he said, “For four decades, Harold Bell has told the truth as he saw it, on the airwaves or in print in Washington, D.C., he was the first African-American sports radio talk show host in DC. More recently, he’s been a no-holds barred internet columnist who regularly TRASHES sacred cows who forgot who they are and where they came from.  He honors those in the black community who often don’t get recognition—both sports figures and regular folks.  

My questions to Dave, who made these sell-out Negroes SACRED COWS and when did telling the truth become TRASH?  This was a wrong analogy if he was trying to show support for me. This was the same kind of BS City Paper columnist Dave McKenna had written several years before as it related to so-called SACRED COWS player-haters and their relationship with me.  He never interviewed one of them, he relied on he say she say!

http://bleacherreport.com/users/121596-harold-bell/archives/newest?rel=nofollow”a no-holds barred Internet columnist

Then there was Washington Post columnist Mike Wise inviting me on his sports talk radio show. He wanted me to justify my Bleacher Report (CBS affiliate) blog on SACRED COW John Thompson. The blog had 35,000 hits in three days a major debate in sports media ensued.  People wanted to know who was the REAL John Thompson and who was Harold Bell and why was I criticizing a sacred cow?  The Mike Wise show was heard on WJFK 106.7 FM radio (CBS affiliate) in DC.  Mike and his clown sidekick co-hosting the show tried to ambush me about the blog.  I think Mike got me mixed up with Glenn, Mike,Stephen A, Jayson or some other brother who regularly kissed John’s ring when he didn’t feel up to pulling his pants down.  It’s the likes of McKenna, Wise, John Fiestein, Leonard Sharpiro, Buzz Bissinger, Norman Chad, Dave Kindred, Tony Korhiser,etc. who should get down on their knees several times a day and thank God that they were not born Black (they probably do).  John’s “Cry Baby” act after recently receiving the Dean Smith Award was Oscar worthy.

David Aldridge is really a decent human being but he just got caught up in the BS of sports media and sacred cows and lost his way.  Whomever said getting your name in the paper was always a good thing and that It was better than no publicity at all as long as they spelled your name right.  I beg to differ, because that is one of the reasons why our history is being written incorrectly and why it is losing its important historical value for generations to come.  I am sorry to say there was also a similar situation with Charles Hall of the Minnesota-Spokesman (stay tuned).

QB Peyton Manning described the sports media best when he said recently in a press conference, “You just don’t know and you never will.”  Listen-up Stephen A. Smith and Michael Wilbon.

 *Jim Brown / when members of the media made him the Cover Boy for domestic abuse in sports after a run-in with his new wife.  He turned to me to secure his early release from jail in 2007.  He is another one of the sacred cows I had to call out.  He recently admitted that racism today across the board is at its worst.

The Great One NFL legend Jim Brown participates in Kids Day at the Grand Hyatt

*James Brown (mentor) / he followed my lead for an audition for a weekend sports anchor job at NBC affiliate WRC-TV 4 and the rest is sports media history.  He was a guest on Inside Sports and modeled in my Celebrity Fashion Shows long before CBS and Inside the NFL.

Sam Jones, James Brown, and Earl Lloyd celebrate Black History Month at Bolling Air Force Base

*Dave Bing before his NBA Hall of Fame/Detroit Mayor careers I was his mentor in the game called life.  He was the first NBA player to reach back into the community via KIT.  He credits me for help preparing him for the NBA.  But he didn’t listen when I told him running for Mayor in Detroit was a Dead End Street.

Dave Bing was the first pro athlete to come back home to the inner-city and give something back

*Tim Baylor (NFL) mentor and Godfather of his first child / franchise owner of several McDonalds in Minn.  He forgot!

*Kevin Blackistone / first heard on Inside Sports Media Roundtable long before ESPN, new token at the Washington Post.

*Adrian Branch mentor (NBA-ESPN) He tried to save Len Bias’ life and later became a Pimp in the Pulpit.  

*Adrian Dantley (NBA) mentor / I exposed his agent David Falk as an embezzler.  An audit shown Falk had taken millions of dollars out of his account.  As of this date Adrian has yet to say “thank you.”

NBA Hall of Fame player Adrian Dantley receives Kids In Trouble Man of the Year Award from TV 7 news anchor Fred Thomas at Foxtrappe

*Larry Fitzgerald Sr. (Minn. Sports Media) / before ESPN his first sports media Round Table was Inside Sports. I remember his son NFL WR and future hall of famer, Larry Jr. answering my early morning phone calls saying, “Dad its Harold Bell in DC.” 

*Bobby Gardner (NFL) mentor / I recommended him to Winston-Salem State Coach Bighouse Gaines for an athletic scholarship

*Glenn Harris (WHUR Radio/TV Channel 8/ followed my path to a trail I had cleared for minorities like him in sports media

*Darryl Hill mentor / I help him grow up from being a mommy’s boy and cry baby to a confident young adult. His early childhood encounters with me helped him to become the first black to play football at the Naval Academy and in the ACC.

*Grant Hill (NBA) / before Duke, NBA and ESPN he was heard on inside Sports talking HS basketball in Virginia

*Jo Jo Hunter (NBA & Playground legend)/ instrumental in getting him an early release from prison after serving 18 years

*Cathy Hughes (owner of Radio & TV One) / she didn’t know her ass from a hole in the ground while working as a receptionist for WHUR radio.  She asked me to be a Big Brother to her only son Alfred. I introduced her to Larry Brown and Earl Monroe.

Radio and TV One owners Alfred Liggins and Cathy Hughes. The duo from hell!

*Dave Jacobs (Boxing) / when Sugar Ray Leonard and Janks Morton fired him, I encouraged them to give him his job back.  When the strings
were finally cut with Ray, I called Don King to ask him to hire him as a trainer for Mike Tyson and he did.

Sugar Ray and Janks Morton are not happy campers as we discuss the firing of Dave Jacobs

*Don King (Boxing) / when major media was calling him a murder and a thief I was seen on national television debating Geraldo and Bert Sugar defending the greatest boxing promoter in the history of the sport.  His right to a second chance in the Game Called Life—the American way.  In the final analyst, Geraldo and Bert were right about DK.

Inside Sports Boxing Round Table, Sugar Ray, DK and Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes

*Jair Lynch (Olympic Gymnast) / he and his father spend so much uninvited time on Inside Sports promoting his gymnastic career —I made them honorary co-host.

*Sugar Ray Leonard (Boxing) / when he did not have a bucket to piss in and a window to throw it out. I was there for him.  He became the first pro boxer to earn 100 million dollars.  He was heard on WYCB radio saying, “Harold I am the welterweight champion today, because you were there when no one else was.” 

Sugar Ray Leonard before drugs and two-dollars more made him smarter then everyone else

Tony Paige (NFL/Sports agent) / He became a regular on Inside Sports when his mother and father ask me to help promote his high school athletic endeavors and dreams of the NFL.  I asked for a donation to KIT he immediately changed his number.

 Olden Polyniece (NBA) / when he was kicked out of college he found his way to Inside Sports and Kids In Trouble (via Adrian Branch) for moral support.  He played 18 years in the NBA and never reached back.

Earl Lloyd (NBA) / when the NBA and others had forgotten his pioneering efforts I asked my friend and mentor, NBA Godfather Red Auerbach to support my efforts to get him inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame—mission accomplish. He forgot!

Butch McAdams (Radio One) mentor / after he was hired to host his first sports talk show, GM Tony Washington tried to convince me to take the position. I said “No” it had something to do with my integrity and being a mentor.

*Vasti McKenzie / the first Africa-American woman to be named Bishop of the AME Church.  She was the gospel voice of WYCB Radio and my sidekick on Inside Sports in the late 70s.

*Aaron Pryor (Boxing) / when he was in DC to train to become one of the best ever, I gave him a place to live.  He forgot!

 *Bill Rhoden (NY Times) / before he appeared on ESPN Sports Reporters he was on the Inside Sports Roundtable

 *Chris Thomas (Comedian/BET) / before Black Entertainment Television he used Inside Sports as his platform to comedy success.

 *John Thompson (Georgetown) / before he became the first black coach to win a NCAA basketball championship, I gave him 5 minutes on Inside Sports to promote Georgetown basketball when others in media would not give him the time of day.

 *Omar Tyree (Author: Fly Girls & Mayor for Life) / I was his mentor while he was a student at Howard U and writer for the Capitol Spotlight community newspaper.  He became a millionaire and never reached back. He lost everything trying to go Hollywood, on comeback trail.  He asked me for a loan (unbelievable).

 *Cecil Turner (NFL/FBI) / mentor, I watched him follow me from our Parkside housing project to Spingarn HS, it was here he became a better WR then I had ever been, but more important he became a great human being who never forgot who he was and where he came from.

Chicago Bear WR and kick-returner Cecil Turner at Lorton Reformatory conducting pass catching clinic for the inmates

 Michael Wilbon (Washington Post)/ I was his mentor and shoulder to cry on before ESPN.  He has since become an expert on everything black in America, including the okay use of the N word by family & friends.  Michael at the moment is just a lost soul without a clue.  I thought his heart attack would be a wake up call, but he went back to sleep.

ESPN Broadcast partners Michael Wilbon and Stephen A. Smith, the blind leading the blind

 Willie Wood (NFL) / life time friend who I lobbied for to be inducted into the NFL Hall of fame.  Shortly after his induction, he made a guest appearance on Inside Sports to say “Thank you.” Willie is a rarity.

The late great sports columnist Dick Heller and the equally great NFL Hall of Fame player Willie Wood saying thanks

Doug Williams (NFL) / My friend and his mentor was the late Bob Piper.  When Bob discovered Doug was coming to play for the Redskins, he told him to look me up.  He said, “Harold will help you to ID the frauds in the DC community.” Doug became the first black QB to win a Super Bowl and he was also named MVP.  A decent human being and country boy that got caught up in the bright lights and big city.
Doug was a KIT Santa’s Helper following in the footsteps of the late LB Harold McLinton and Hall of Fame inductee Dave Robinson as a real life Santa Claus for inner-city kids.

Santa’s Helpers, Dave Robinson, Judge Luke C. Moore, Harold McLinton and Roy Jefferson

The list goes on and on but I thought this list of names you would be more familiar with and would make you feel at home.

During the past five decades I have made an impact not only in the community but also as a sports media pioneer, meaning I went first.  I went where there was no path in the community or in sports talk radio and I left a trail for others to follow.  Hattie and I hosted 45 years of Christmas toy parties for needy elementary school children without grants or loans (1968-2013). Inside Sports changed the way people talk sports in America and we encouraged pro athletes to give back to their community. Pro sports franchises community “I Care” programs all started here in DC with Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports.  My question, ‘Where is the beef?’

First KIT toy party for inner-city kids (1968) / first ever NFL films community promo, Redskin’s RB Larry Brown and LB Harold McLinton teach water safety to inner-city kids at KIT Hillcrest Children’s Center Saturday Program (1971).  Fatty Taylor, Larry Brown and Petey Greene hanging out at the Hillcrest Saturday Program.

 Alvin Attles, at least 1/3 of the KIT and Inside Sports benefactors were drug abusers, drugs use can make you paranoid.  I am convinced that was their problem, but there was no hint that you were on drugs.  Evidently, you were just an undercover Player-Hater—you give Under Cover Boss a bad name.

In the meantime, if you can find anyone of the above benefactors (include yourself) to go on The Record saying, “Harold Bell hindered my initial efforts to be all that I could be”, I will meet you in Lafayette Square Park, the park directly in front of the White House in the light of day and I will kiss your black ass.

I am truly blessed, because God blessed me with street sense, common sense, and book sense.  But one of the most important lessons I learned was taught by my grandmother.  She told me to always tell the truth.  She said, “A lie will change a thousand times but the truth never changes.”  Telling the truth didn’t make me the most popular media personality but it brought me peace of mind, which is not for sale.

The hate found on the campus on Missouri U and other campuses like it around the country, you can rest assured that none of these kids came out of their mother’s womb strapped with an AK47, wearing a KKK robe, using MF and the N word, this kind of hate was taught by adults.  I think ESPN analyst and former NFL player/coach Herman Edwards described black men like you best.  He was discussing the racism on the Missouri U campus on ESPN when he cited the teachings of his father.  He said my father once told me, “As long as you know who the racist are you can deal with them, but it is the hidden racist that you will find the most difficult to deal with.  And when you find them you have to expose them and put them in the spotlight.” 

 Alvin Attles, you and black men like you are the hidden racist in the black community Mr. Edwards was talking about and I am following his advice and putting you in the social media spotlight where you belong.

If I had to walk down a dark dangerous alley in the mean streets of DC, I would feel more at ease with men like Red Auerbach, Richard Nixon, Strom Thurmond, Charles Kenny, Bert Sugar, Angelo Dundee, or a Hymie Perlo.  It was the above men who where the inspiration behind me coining the phrase “Every Black Face I see is not my brother and every White Face I see is not my enemy.”   The R & B singing group The O’Jays described you best in their classic rendition “Back Stabbers.”

I am tired of hearing black folks blame white folks for all the ills found in our community and I am tired of white folks telling us to get over it (slavery).  The finger pointing and Player-Hating has to come to an end for a better and stronger America.  I have done my part by understanding “That every black face I see is not my brother and every white face is not my enemy!”  Where is your beef?

In closing, if there is a problem with anything I have written in this open letter, my phone number has not changed.  You have my permission to give my number to anyone of your player-hating friends in the NBA, or others on my benefactor’s list.  I return all calls.  Enjoy the rest of your life.

Truly,

Harold Bell

See Open Letter World Wide internet@ theoriginalinsidesports.com/theoriginalinsidesportsmlb.com/blackmeninamerica.com/Inside Washington heard on WCLM Radio 1450 Richmond, Virginia (Mondays 5:00 pm)

PEIRRE GARCON KEEPING HIS EYE ON THE BALL, BUSINESS AND THE COMMUNITY IN THE DMV

When I think of a combination of a great athlete and a great human being, I can usually count the ones that I have encountered in my life time on one hand.  For example; I could name someone who is a great athlete but a lousy human being or I could name someone who is a great human being but not a great athlete.  My choice would always be the great human being every time.

I have been fortunate during my career as a youth advocate (50 years) and a pioneering sports talk show radio personality (45 years) to meet several great athletes/great human beings.  Heading the list is Muhammad Ali (The Greatest), Red Auerbach (NBA), Dave Bing (NBA), Lenny Moore (NFL), Bert R. Sugar (Boxing), Lee Jones (NBA), Roy Jefferson (NFL) and Harold McLinton (NFL), finding pro athletes like them today are far, few and in-between.  And that is a sad commentary when you think about the hundreds of men and women I have interviewed on Inside Sports and worked with as a youth advocate (Kids In Trouble).   Its possible, I set my standards too high–honesty and integrity were the only requirements.

The Great Ones: Washington Pro Football players, LB Harold McLinton (Santa) Judge Luke C. Moore, LB Dave Robinson (2013 NFL Hall of Fame inductee) and WR Roy Jefferson host KIT toy party.  Sam Jones (NBA), Lenny Moore (NFL) and Roy Jefferson (NFL) participate in KIT clothing drive for needy children at Union Station.  Ali and wife Veronica attend KIT Awards Dinner.  The great Red Auerbach and wife Dottie (NBA) guest host on Inside Sports.  Bert Sugar (Boxing) receives KIT Life Time Achievement Award and Dave Bing (NBA) pays tribute to KIT Saturday Program All-Stars.

I had the opportunity to hear an interview on Sirius  XM Radio (channel 126) on the Maggie Linton Show recently, her guest was NFL Washington Pro football player, wide receiver Peirre Garcon.  I have not been very impressed with today’s pro athletes and their give back commitment to their family, friends and community.  My problem, is how can you forget those who knew you when you had absolutely nothing?   Peirre was a breath of fresh air.  He has not forgotten who he is and where he came from.  He is the proud son of immigrant parents who hail from the island of Haiti.  He has three older sisters making him the youngest and the only one born in the United States.

His father died when he was 4 years old leaving his mother to raise him and his 3 sisters alone.  My background is similar to Peirre’s, my mother had to raise 4 boys alone with an assist from Grandma Bell.  I remember my father as a Deadbeat Dad from birth, he was never there for us.  Peirre’s mom was their Rock as our mom was our Rock!  When I speak to young people I remind them that my heroes were not black athletes, my heroes could not shoot a jump shot, hit a baseball out of the stadium, or kick a 60 yard field goal, my heroes were black women.  A similarity that Peirre shares.

Peirre Garcon was an outstanding wide receiver and track star (100 and 200 meters) in high school and college and that is where our similarities end. Many have claim that I was a great athlete, but I know a great athlete when I see one and I am not one of them.  My claim to fame was not being a great athlete, my claim to fame was I wanted the ball in my hands when the game was on the line.  I played football, basketball and baseball in high school and my “Gimme the ball” attitude kept me in the doghouse with my teammates and some coaches, I was considered cocky and selfish.

I thought every ball that was thrown in the air was my ball and no-one could check me one on one!  My baseball coach Dr. Leo Hill kicked me to the curve for stealing home to lose a ball game with our best hitter at the plate and final at bat.  Dr. William Roundtree the basketball coach made me turn in my uniform my senior year when I decided to switch from top defender to top scorer.  The football coach Dave Brown locked me on the bus for the second half of a game against next door neighbor and rival Phelps Vocational High School.  The reason, I jumped off-side and caught a touch pass for a 6-0 half-time lead but the play was called back.  I blamed my Quarterback Don Wills for not calling the signals loud enough for me to hear.  Coach Brown told me to stay on the bus and see if I could hear the signals from there.  Wills returned a punt for 63 yards to win the win the game 6-0.  I had to apologize to my teammates and coaches to stay on the team.  Smart decision–I was on my last athletic legs.

There was another similarity, I notice during the interview with Maggie how comfortable Peirre was sitting behind a microphone.  His major in college was communications and while on campus he hosted his own radio talk show.   The way he described his talk show format, he had no cut-card, nothing was off-limits or out-of-bounds.  Sounds like the original Inside Sports talk show format that is now copied around the country.

The “I Care” televised promos we see during the NBA Finals, Super Bowls and World Series are more about the billionaire owners then about the players giving back to their communities.  The first pro athletes to ‘Care’ and give back without calling a press conference were DC natives and hall of fame players, Dave Bing (NBA) and  Willie Wood (NFL).  In 1967 Dave was a rookie participating in the NBA All-Star Game in Baltimore when there was a drive-by shooting at a DC Public School.  A student was shot in front of Spingarn after a basketball game against cross town rival McKinley Tech.  I was working with the DC Recreation Department’s Roving Leader Program( Youth Gang Task Force) at the time of the shooting.  I was a Spingar alumnus so I was assigned to the school in the role of peace-maker.  The young man shot was not seriously injured but talks of revenge persisted.  The question was, where and who could I turn to for help in bringing peace to this volatile situation?

The NBA All-Star Game was being played in Baltimore that same weekend of the shooting and a Spingarn alumnus was making his rookie debut, Dave Bing.   I had known Dave since he was a youngster playing basketball on the NE playgrounds in our community.  I had become not only a friend but a mentor.  My gut instincts told me to ride over to Baltimore and I did.   On Saturday morning I was waiting outside of the arena when Dave arrived with teammate Bob Lanier.   To say he was surprised to see me would be an understatement.  He could not believe his eyes, he said, “Harold Bell is that really you?”  While we shared a handshake and a hug, his Detroit teammate Bob Lanier introduced himself and disappeared into the arena leaving me and Dave to ourselves.

I explained the surprise visit and why I needed him to come to Spingarn and speak to the student body.  He was more than willing and on Monday morning he walked into the auditorium and the students gave him a standing ovation.  They had just seen him on national television playing in the NBA All-Star Game.  His words of wisdom brought an end to the talks of revenge and more violence.  Willie Wood was one of DC’s finest all-around athletes and played 12 years with the great Vince Lombardi.  Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to the first Super Bowl ever played.  Vince called Willie his coach on the field.  During the off-season he came home to work as a teacher in the DC Public Schools or with the DC Recreation Department’s Roving Leader Program.  In the 6os the NFL was not paying the players these enormous salaries that today’s players are making, so Willie had to find a second job to make ends meet.  During the 1968 riots Willie walked the streets as my co-worker along with U. S. Marshall in Charge, Luke C. Moore.  Luke was the first black in modern day history to head the U. S. Marshall Service (he was appointed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson).   The 3 of us walked arm-in-arm down the U Street corridor aka Black Broadway.  This was the hardest hit area in the Nation’s Capitol.  In the 70s, 80s and 90s Willie and Luke were members of the Board of Directors of Kids In Trouble.  If Willie Wood was playing today, the New York Jets’ Darrelle Revis would not be the only 16 million dollar defensive back playing in the NFL.

The great Willie Wood says thanks to the equally great Washington Times sports columnist the late Dick Heller.  Dick helped lead the fight for Willie’s induction into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989. 
L-R Maggie Linton (Sirius XM Radio), HBell,  Peirre Garcon, Gary Johnson (Black Men in America.com) CEO Fouad Quirtem (SpinFire)

As the receiving coach for the DC Public High School West All-Stars (1969), I am passing on some accumulated knowledge with receivers Bob Wagman of Wilson and Charlie Stovall of Cardozo. 

I have been watching Peirre from a distant since his arrival in DC 3 years ago (2012) via the Indianapolis Colts.  He has been called a pro’s pro and one of the hardest workers in pro football.   He is not the rah-rah type of player, he leads by example.  He had a breakout season in 2013 when he caught a franchise record-breaking 113 receptions for over 1,300 yards.  He broke the great Art Monk’s record.  The following year he had 50 less receptions and half the yardage gained.  I knew he was special when he never made an excuse or pointed his finger at his quarterback, that is why he is called a pro’s pro by his coaches and teammates.

It looks like his silence and work ethic will be rewarded in the 2015 NFL season.  His head coach Jay Gruden and position coach Ike Hilliard who played wide receiver at a high level in the NFL, both said, we must find away to get Peirre more involved in the offense in the 2015 season.  The fanfare creative by the acquisition of  DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia Eagles, which I consider the biggest heist in the NFL last year could pay big dividends in 2015.

In a story on NFL.Com, Gruden said more than once last season that he wanted to get Garcon more involved in the passing game. But it never really happened, whether it was a result of free agent DeSean Jackson’s addition to the receiving corps, the revolving door at quarterback or the failure of RG III to make timely, decisive reads, is still the $64,000 question?

When the Redskins got back to work this off season, Peirre frequently lined up split out wide to the right of Griffin rather than in his customary spot to the quarterback’s left. According to Hilliard, it represented an attempt to diversify the offense and get players comfortable with other roles.

And both Hilliard and Gruden spoke highly about the work Garcon was putting in. Heading into his eighth NFL season, Peirre, who’ll turn 29 in August, didn’t miss a session of optional workouts or the mandatory mini-camp.

“I’m impressed, especially with Pierre,” Gruden said, asked his impressions of Garcon and Jackson, who exercised his right to skip several of the optional workouts. “Pierre has been here every day, working his tail off, doing a great job.”  Hilliard was even more effusive, calling the 6-foot, 216-pound Garcon “a stud” for his effort in practice, the tough yards he gains after catches and his willingness as a blocker.

“Can’t say enough good things about him,” Hilliard said of Garcon, who had 68 receptions for 752 yards last season. “He’s a pro’s pro — a guy you model your game after if you’re a young pro; a guy you pick his brain, if you’re a young guy, when he’s around. You watch him work; you process the game —or try to process the game the way he does. The consummate pro.”

Another similarity, number 88 keeping their eyes on the ball and the Game Called Life 

When I think of Peirre’s work ethic I think of my own as a high school, college and semi-pro player, I played the way I practice, I never took a play off. My teammates would often get pissed-off at me because I went hard on every play, I treated practice like it was the game.  I became a good blocker out of necessity–self defense.  My size made me a target for aggressive linebackers and defensive backs (bump and run).  I got tired of getting beat up, when I was not involved in the play called, I would blind side them to let them know, two could play their game.  This tactic worked for me because my playing weight was 170 pounds soaking wet compared to Peirre’s 215 pounds.  Being a great downfield blocker helps Peirre get into his pass patterns and keeps the defensive backs guessing.  Most great wide receivers are also great blockers and actors.  The great NFL Hall of Fame player, former Washington Redskin wide receiver Charlie Taylor was a devastating downfield blocker.  He use to keep defensive backs and linebacker’s heads on a swivel, they could not afford go to sleep on him.

Peirre Garcon is in a class by himself on the Washington Pro Football team.  He is the only active player that has caught 100+ passes and one of 3 players in the NFL who has average 5 receptions a game for an entire regular season.  If the Washington Football team is be in a position to make the play-offs in 2015, they will need a balance passing attack.  A healthy Peirre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are one of the most dangerous combos in the NFL.  The question marks are, can RG III make the proper reads and can running back Alfred Morris be the workhorse to keep the defenses honest.

Time out there is more, Peirre turns 29 in August and he has already prepared himself for life after the NFL.  His daring game plan for life after football to invest in pizza restaurants had many scratching their heads–another pizza parlor?  Peirre and his business partner Paisano’s CEO Fouad A. Qreitem’s new business venture is called SpinFire its all about pizza in 90 seconds.  And the customers can have it their way (any ingredient).  Right now there are locations in Ashburn and Rosslyn, Virginia.  There are plans to open stores at Tyson’s Corner and Wheaton mall before the end of the year.

Peirre has huddled with teammates and other players in the NFL about franchising locations in college towns, where they could leverage their celebrity to attract customers (there is gold in them hills).

There is one other similarity, I was a “Mommy’s boy.”  There was no maybe, I was ‘Mommy’s baby’ of Mattie Bell’s 4 boys.   To understand what makes Peirre the humble and strong brother that he is today, you have to look no further then his family, being an only son automatically makes him a ‘Mommy’s boy. ‘  And with 3 sisters, he is loved and protected by his heroes, black women.

Down and out was my favorite pass pattern, but Peirre’s career pattern will be deep and long.

BEN’S CHILI BOWL GOES FROM MOM & POP TO MOM & SONS

Top photo: The Chili Bowl founders, Virginia and Ben Ali. The sons, CEO Kamal, Nizam, and Sage.  The latest Chili Bowl is located at 10th & H Streets NE on Capitol Hill.  This brings the number of eateries to seven located in the shadows of the Nation’s Capitol. 

In 2016 the world’s media new outpost is not the White House and President Obama’s next confrontation on guns.  Its Ben’s Chili Bowl, the black family own business in Washington, DC.  In the late 50s Ben Ali left the Virgil Island of Trinidad dead broke looking for the American Dream.  He landed in Washington, DC.  His best bet for obtaining the dream was to get an education so he enrolled in a historic Black College, Howard University.  Ben thought his best bet to become rich was to enroll in Dental School, but shortly after enrolling he had a bad fall.  His doctors advised him during recuperation, he should look for another career because a dental career would not allow him to stand on his feet for long periods of time.

Everyday after class Ben would venture down to the 1200 block of U Street NW aka Black Broadway to hangout and shoot pool. The pool hall was once the Minihaha silent theater.  He and the poolroom owner became good friends.  One day he convinced the owner to allow him to start selling hot dogs out in front of the pool hall to help pay his way through college.  Ben would set up business rain or shine out in front of the pool hall after class.

He would deposit the money he earned at the only black bank in DC, the Industrial Bank of Washington one block away. It was here he met a pretty little teller by the name of Virginia Rollins who was born and raised in the state of Virginia.  She would not only take his money but she would also take his heart.  They were married in 1958 and shortly there after open the Chili Bowl.

Bill Cosby was in the Navy and station at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, he was an up and coming comedian.  He spend his leisure time hanging out at Ben’s Chili Bowl courting a young pretty Howard University co-ed by the name of Carmille Hanks.  She was a native Washingtonian. Unlike most who make it in the black community, he never forgot.  His legendary career as a comedian/actor and outspoken Civil Rights advocate is second to none.  He would use his celebrity to support his old friends, Ben and Virginia Ali.

Since the alleged rape charges emerged some dating back as far a 40 years, every time Bill’s name appears in the news, the media can be found camping out at the U Street location, like Bill is going to show up for a chili dog.  If not for his support the Chili Bowl would still be a hot dog stand.

The emergence of Ben’s Chili Bowl in 1958 coincided with the modern-day Civil Rights Movement and I was an eyewitness up and close and personal to the trials and tribulations of these two historical game changing moments.  One for black history and the other for black business.

My family the Tyler/Bell family settled in DC in the early 1800s.  My great-grandfather, Rev. Alfred Johnson Tyler laid the first brick to help build historic Mt. Airy Baptist Church in 1893.  The church is located at North Capitol & L Streets, NW in the shadows of the Capitol.  The Tyler House a senior citizen complex is located two blocks north of the church at North Capitol & New York Ave. NW and is named after my great-uncle, the Rev. Earl Tyler.

I admire the wall plaque of my great-grandfather the Rev. Alfred Johnson Tyler in the lobby of Mt. Airy Baptist Church

The Tyler/Bell children learned about giving back and community service at an early age.  On Sundays after church my Grandmother Amy Tyler Bell who was the matriarch of the family and my Great-Uncle would take me and my brothers into the community surrounding the church and visit the sick and shut-in.  My heroes could not catch a football, hit a home run, or shoot a jump shot. My heroes were black women, my grandmother and my mother Mattie Bell.  They taught us how to be “Super Stars” in the most important game being played in the World today, the Game Called Life.

The grands of the Tyler/Bell family and matriarch, Amy Tyler Bell aka Grandma Bell / R-L: Tommy, Bobby, Earl, HB, Carol and Ronnie

In 1958 I was a All-Star athlete and senior at Spingarn High School in NE DC going to hell in a hurry.  I played football, basketball and baseball.  All these sports did not make me a great athlete.  There were some brothers in my housing project I could not carry or wear their jock straps.  The problem, they never got a chance to take it to the next level.  On the weekends my high school football teammates and I would hang out on Black Broadway after our game, especially on the corner of 7th & T Streets, NW.  It was the home of the Howard Theater.  It was here you could see and mingle with some of the greatest entertainers in the world.  The Apollo Theater followed the Howard Theater as a landmark and home of great black entertainment.

Black Broadway was established on the U Street corridor in the early 40s when Black Americans were not welcome on Broadway in New York City. Black Broadway came to my attention when I was in middle school.  I use to see my mother and her sisters, brothers, cousins and friends get dressed up on the weekends and meet at our home in the projects.  They were as clean as chittlings.  My curiosity eventually got the best of me and I asked “Mom where are you guys going so dressed-up?”  Her response, ‘We are going downtown to party!’  My first thoughts of downtown was the White House, why the White House?

The Black Broadway crew (aunts, uncles, cousins and neighbors).  My mom back row center with white pearls around her neck. 

In the 40s and 50s there was Capital Transit a bus line that ran through our housing project and provided the residents their mode of transportation into the city.  On Sundays to close out the week, the bus company would allow three to ride on one pass.  My homies and I would take turns asking our parents for their bus passes on the weekends.

The joy ride would begin on Kenilworth Ave. NE, the main bus route in our community.  Three of us would board the bus at the beginning of the route. We would hand the pass out of the window to three of our homies at each stop, by the time the bus left the projects, there were at least ten to fifteen of us on the bus on that one pass.   The bus would take us down the Benning Road NE corridor to the H Street NE on to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (White House).  It would make a U-turn at Lafayette Park and bring us back to the projects.  The White House was downtown to me, that was as far as I got to downtown back then.

When Ben and Virginia opened Ben’s Chili Bowl in 1958 Black Broadway was a blessing in disguise for their new business.  On the weekends you could see some of the greatest entertainers, politicians and sports personalities hanging out on the U Street/Black Broadway corridor.  The personalities included, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Ramsey Lewis, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Redd Foxx, Dick Gregory, Nina Simone, Harry Belaforte, Billie Eckstein,  Arthur Prysock,etc., all whom were Ben’s Chili Bowl customers on any given evening.

I remember hanging out on Black Broadway one weekend and saw the Heavyweight Champion of the World walking directly in front of me, Joe Louis. He had two pretty black women on his arms and I think one of them was Lena Horne.  There was no one trying to position themselves for autographs or ego tripping, it was just like one big happy family hanging out.

Civil Rights’ bumps in the road to freedom 1957-2016:

1957 my mom would have a nervous breakdown and she would be confined St. Elizabeth’s Mental Hospital in SE DC.  The stress was a result brought on by my deadbeat playboy dad and her trying to raise three knucklehead boys alone.   After a short hospital stay she returned home to find me carrying white folks bags at the Safeway food store on the weekends.  I was hoping this would help her to make ends meet.  One weekend, one of my homies offered to take me out to Burning Tree Golf Course in Bethesda, a DC suburb in Maryland to carry golf bags for rich white men.  He swore that I could make triple the money–it was an offer I could not refuse.

Burning Tree Golf Course was an all white male membership only.  It was the home of some of the richest and most powerful leaders in the Free World.  Some of the powerful included, the President of the United States.  It was here I met and caddied for the Vice-President, Richard M. Nixon and Attorney General, William Rogers.

In 1959 I would leave DC for Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  My high school coach/mentor Dave Brown had talked the legendary Coach Clarence Bighouse Gaines into offering me an athletic scholarship.  That in itself was an amazing feat, I didn’t have grades to go to the bathroom.  My Brown Middle School Principal had predicted to my mother, I would not live to get out of high school.  I was trying to go to hell in a hurry,  the change of scenery saved my life.

The late Bighouse Gaines my mentor and savior

Thirty miles down the road in Greensboro, North Carolina, some students from North Carolina A & T said, “Enough is enough” to racism.  They started the lunch counter sit-ins that would rock the country.  The sit-ins would move up the road to Winston-Salem and against the advice and wishes of Coach Gaines, he threaten to send anyone home who got caught downtown during the demonstrations, but my roommates, Al Mayor (DC), Barney Hood (Chicago), Luther Wiley (Lynchburg, Va.) and I ventured downtown to join the protesters.

The 60s were the “Killing Fields” of the Civil Rights movement.   Megar Evers was assassinated in his driveway with a shotgun, four little girls were blown up in the 16th Street Baptist church by the KKK, the March on Washington and the I have Dream speech (ML King), President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  His brother Bobby followed in death when he was assassinated in his bid for the Presidency,  Malcolm X  was assassinated, and in  1968 Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated.

The riots hit DC like an out of control tornado, I was standing on U Street in the corridor of Black Broadway on a bright sun shiny day in April with my co-worker Willie Wood (NFL).  Someone drove by and yelled, “Hey Harold they just shot Martin Luther King in Memphis, Tennessee.”   All hell broke loose around us in what seem like in a matter of seconds.  Willie and I were advised by our DC Recreation Department boss, Stanley Anderson, to stay on the streets, because there was the possibility of us saving a life.  Willie was an All-Pro Safety for the Green Bay Packers and during the off-season he would return home and work a second job as a DC school teacher or Roving Leader for the DC Recreation Department (working with youth gangs and at-risk children).

As Willie and I walked the U Street corridor headed toward Ben’s Chili Bowl we met Luke C. Moore walking toward us.  Luke was the first black modern-day U. S. Marshall in-charge appointed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson (Luke lived in DC).  We joined arms and continued our walk in the direction of Ben’s Chili Bowl where we spotted Ben standing in front of his restaurant with several other local businessmen.  Luke went over to speak with Ben while Willie and I chic-chatted with residents.  He returned to tell us that Ben’s Chili Bowl had been ordered to shut-down by the DC Police Department, the order for shutdown came from the White House.  Luke, explained that was not a good decision, because first respondents, police, firemen, doctors, nurses, military personnel and youth advocates like ourselves, needed some place to eat.  He excused himself and said, “I will be right back.”

Friends of the Court: DC Superior Court Judge Luke C. Moore plays a Santa’s Helper with Redskins’ Harold McLinton (Santa), LB Dave Robinson and WR Roy Jefferson.  I enjoy a laugh with Luke and his homeboy, Chief Judge Eugene Hamilton 

It took close to 30 minutes before he returned, but he returned with good news.  He spoke with the President and he had relented and would allow Ben’s Chili Bowl to stay open for first respondents.  Despite this good deed by Luke, the U Street corridor and mom and pop businesses were destroyed, many never to recover.  The only black businesses left standing were Lee’s Flowers, Industrial Bank and Ben’s Chili Bowl.

The 68 riots devastated the Shaw/Cardozo community.  My friend John Snipes was a well-known businessman and community advocate.  He was one of the early board members for Kids In Trouble.Inc.  I will never forget the day he brought a group of white tourist around to Harris Playground where I was conducting a baseball practice for the youth.  The playground was located at 13th & V Streets, NW a short walk from Ben’s Chili Bowl.  When I asked him, what was going on,  he said, “These folks are paying me to take them on a tour of the area.”  It was then a walking history  of U Street history was born, the father was John Snipes.  He took the concept to Kamal Ali and his mom Virginia who saw his vision.  They provided him with an upstairs office in the Chili Bowl.  As the present Historian for the Chili Bowl, I am walking in the shoes of John Snipes who created a trail and left a path for all of us to follow.

Shortly after the riots my wife Hattie and I started our non-profit organization Kids In Trouble, Inc.  We found and started the Hillcrest Children’s Center Saturday Program for neighborhood children.  The first KIT toy party for needy children was held at the center in December 1968.  The first donation for the party came from Ben’s Chili Bowl (hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, etc.).

L-R: John Snipes looks on as legendary radio and television talk show host, the late Petey Greene and Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Bill Raspberry of the Washington  Post participate in the Hillcrest Saturday Program’s Community Day festivities.

2016 we have come full cycle.  Someone once said, “If you don’t know your history you are bound to repeat it.” Here it is, Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardiner, Michael Brown, a 12-year-old murdered in a Cleveland Park by white cops while playing with a toy gun.  In Cleveland again, a black couple’s car riddled with 165 bullets because their car back fired, Freddy Gray a young black man arrested for having a pocket knife. He died as result of a severed spine after cops took him on a wild ride through the streets of Baltimore, let us not forget the young black man shot down in the streets of Chicago by a white police officer while holding a knife but walking away from the the cop who shot him 16 times.  And Chicago again, black woman shot to death while opening her front door to a police officer.  Close to home, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in 2007 a young black man Ronnie White was found hung in his jail cell by vigilante/renegade cops.  He was waiting to go on trial for the hit and run death of a Prince Georges County police officer.  The beat goes on, in Charleston, SC, a young black man was shot in the back and killed because of a traffic stop running away from the police and last but not least, Sandra Bland found hung in her jail cell after a profiling white cop pulled her over for not signaling while changing lanes in Texas.

Justice & Just-Us is an American problem, and to understand why, take a look at who controls the criminal justice system, 95% of the prosecutors in the country are white, 75% are white men, 20% are white women and 5% are black.  And you really want to know why America has more people in jail than any other country in the world, especially, black men?  Today the prison system is big business.  They can be found on the New York Stock Exchange.  The Wardens who run the prison are all white and all are millionaires.

The Confederate Flag is not the problem–the problem is the greed of White America. The trial in Baltimore will be a barometer as it relates to equal justice for all.  This is the first time in a major police brutality trial that a black Mayor and a black prosecutor are making the decisions and calling the shots. But we must keep our eyes on the prize–“Here comes the judge!”  Then again, the race of the judge won’t really matter.  The black judges I have witnessed in these cases may as well be white. They lean over backwards trying to be fair when no one else is playing fair but us.

The Ali family opened its 7th restaurant in the DMV area on Wednesday July 9, 2015.  The new restaurant is located at 10th & H Streets, NE, Washington, DC. (Capitol Hill).

The new Chili Bowl locations are still a work in progress.  The Ali family is way ahead of the curb when it comes to black history and giving back to the community.

Our history is being suppressed in our schools and media outlets across America.  In the meantime, the Ali family has made a serious effort to  keep their history and the history of Black Broadway alive with regular video presentations, photos and thought-provoking dialogue at their U Street location. Something similar is being planned for the H Street location.

The riots, crack cocaine epidemic, and the subway demolition of Black Broadway, Ben moving to Las Vegas and older son Sage moving to California, were all stumbling blocks, but that didn’t deter Kamal or his mom, Virginia. Against all odds they kept the doors open and the family business running until the family could re-group.

Kamal single-handedly opened a restaurant/bakery near the corner of 14th and V Streets, NW during the subway construction.  The new enterprise kept him literally on his toes.  I watched him running back and forth between the Chili Bowl and the bakery everyday keeping hope alive!

Kamal and Virginia Ali the muscle and brain trust behind the rise of Ben’s Chili Bowl accepts KIT Life Time Achievement Award 

There have been other known and unknown obstacles placed in the family’s path, they have stumbled but have not fallen.  Despite the Bill Cosby fallout, tourist from all over the World keep finding their way to the U Street corridor to Ben’s Chili Bowl for their World famous Chili Half-smoke.

High School students from South Africa visit the Chili Bowl

High School students from Australia (down under) pose for photos after lunch at the Chili Bowl

The Stanford University basketball team with native Washingtonians Head Coach Johnny Dawkins and assistant coach Mookie Payne stop by the Chili Bowl for a half-smoke. They were on their way to a European vacation during a break from their studies. 
NFL Hall of Fame player Willie Wood receives a Kids In Trouble Life Achievement Award from KIT board member and friend, newspaper columnist, the late Dick Heller.  

The definition of friendship comes to mind when I think of the relationship between Ben’s Chili Bowl and Bill Cosby.  In a one on one interview in 1974 I asked Muhammad Ali how did he distinguish his friends, he said, “A friend is someone who is always doing something for others and never expecting anything in return.”  Bill Cosby has been that kind of friend to Ben’s Chili Bowl and you don’t just kick those kind of friends to the curb when they are down.  The late Ben Ali is looking down and saying, “Job well done family.”