March 29, 2014

When I learned of the passing of Washington Post columnist William Raspberry on Tuesday July 16, 2012 I was moved to remember the song “The Way We Were.”

I met Bill along with my mentor and friend the late legendary radio icon Petey Green in Face’s Restaurant in Washington, DC.  This was shortly before the riots in 1968.  Face’s was a hang-out for the so-called “In Crowd” in what was then known as “Chocolate City!”

Petey and I were sitting at the bar debating whether the Redskins would win a game during the upcoming season and he looked over at this little guy sitting a couple of bar stools away and asked “My man what do you think?”  Bill looked up from his plate and said “Man I don’t have a clue I am from Mississippi!”

As only Petey Green could the conversation went from the Redskins to picking cotton.  He made Bill laugh so hard he had to get up and go to the bathroom before he peed on himself.  The three of us would become fast friends and football, kids and politics would be our topic of conversation for the next several hours.

Petey was than working with the self help group the United Planning Organization as a Neighborhood Worker, Bill was working for the Washington Post (he never mentioned he was a writer) and I was working for the DC Recreation Department as a Roving Leader (Gang Unit).

We would meet at Face’s on Friday (lunch or Happy Hour) for its legendary fish fry.  Ms. Booker cooked the best fish in town.  I don’t remember when Bill told us he was a writer but there were two things Petey pretended to hate, the Redskins and anybody who wrote for the Washington Post!  But, Bill passed the smell test because he and Petey got along fine.

My wife Hattie and I founded the Hillcrest Children’s Center Saturday Program and Kids In Trouble in December 1968 (the result of the 1968 riots).  The Center was located at 14^th and W Street s in northwest DC.  The program was housed in the old Turner’s Arena where legendary entertainers once performed and it was the first home of the now world famous WWE and wrestling promoter Vince McMahon ,Jr., (he took over the mantle handed down by his father and James Dudley).  Mr. Dudley lived directly across the street from the arena and was Don King before Don King.  He was the first black to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.  He was also my “checks and balance” guy.

The building was then the Hillcrest Children’s Center.  The Center was run by Children’s Hospital and catered to children with behavior problems.

During the riots there was talk of burning the building down because the neighbor children resented the fact that they were not allowed to use the building.  The center had an indoor swimming pool, indoor and outdoor basketball courts and classrooms.  It didn’t make it any easier when black neighborhood children would see white kids parading in and out of the building during the week.  The building was closed on the weekend (special needs children would sometimes stay over night and into the weekend).

The administrators became concerned when the neighborhood children begin to harass the staff and their clients verbally.  Someone in the community brought me to the attention of Center Director Nicholas Long as “Mr. Fix It!”

A Monday morning meeting was arranged for me to sit down with Dr. Long to discuss how to mend the fences between the center and the neighborhood.  Without my knowledge Dr. Long had already devised a “Game Plan.”

The plan was for me to coordinate and oversee a Saturday recreation program for the neighborhood kids!  I didn’t think much of the idea because it would intrude on me moonlighting as a wide receiver for a minor league football team on the weekends.  The Virginia Sailors was an affiliate of the NFL Washington Redskins.  I still had dreams of becoming a player in the NFL.  I left the office of Dr. Long saying “I would think about it.”   What I was really saying was “No way.”

I could not wait to catch up with Petey and Bill on Friday at Face’s to get their opinions on how to get out of making a commitment to this “Dream Buster” of an idea!  I called Petey and Bill to make sure we were still on to meet because sometimes one of us would be a no-show because of prior commitments.  Petey could not make lunch so we agreed to meet at the evening “Happy Hour.”

Bill had never seen me play for the Virginia Sailors but Petey would come out to the home games played on Saturdays in Reston, Virginia.  He would leave usually at half-time without acknowledging he was there (Hattie would see him coming and going)!  He was a student of the game.  Petey could tell me precisely what pass patterns I had run and exactly when I would be free lancing on my own.  He would always say “You would have made a great actor!”  It was all a part of the on field game that I played with the defensive back to get the upper hand.

The meeting at Face’s took a turn for the worst when both of them jumped on me for putting football ahead of the kids.  I was surprised when Bill said, “You need to do this and we got your back.”  Petey just looked at me and said “Don’t look at me!”  The decision was made and the rest is community history.

My Spingarn high school teammate Andrew Johnson was a DC cop in the neighborhood and my brother Earl both physically covered for me on the weekends when the team was out of town.

Bill Raspberry’s word was good (unheard of today in media), during our relationship he never lied to me.  You could carry his word to the bank.  Folks in media run a close second to politicians when it comes to telling a lie.

Bill and I didn’t always agree, if I brought something to his attention and he didn’t feel comfortable addressing, he would say “Harold I am going to pass on that one you handle it” and I would!

For the next decade Bill’s columns would challenged the DC Police Department when they refused to allow my brother Earl K. Bell employment because of his juvenile delinquent past.  Shortly after his story was published the department back tracked and hired him.  There would be several other stories in his column with me as the focal point.  He really had my back as he followed my trials and tribulations in the community as it related to kids in trouble.

With Bill and Petey showing their support by participating in my community endeavors others would follow their lead (athletes, judges, politicians, entertainers and media personalities, etc. joined the team).  It also didn’t hurt to have their VIP wives Sondra and Judy in their ears as back-ups on my behalf!

William Raspberry’s support allowed me to excel and blossom as a Youth and Community Advocate.  He also gave me an earful when he thought my radio show the “Original Inside Sports” was politically incorrect, but it was always “Constructive Criticism and never Destructive Criticism!”

We went our separate ways over a trivia disagreement and for the past 2 decades we have been like ships passing in the night (never seeing each other).  Much like Petey, Bill died without me telling him how much I appreciated and loved him.

In December 2012 Hattie and I will celebrate and coordinate our 44^th Annual Christmas Toy Party for needy elementary school children (without grants or loans).  The first was held at the Hillcrest Children’s Center Saturday Program in 1968.  It only happened because Bill Raspberry kicked me in the butt and made me get my priorities in order when I truly needed to.

Thanks Bill and Sondra.

Spencer Haywood locked out of the NBA Hall of Fame

He grew up in the cotton fields of Mississippi where his mother earned two-dollars a day picking cotton.  He would leave those cotton fields for the city of Detroit and leave behind the mental and physical chains of slavery.

Spencer Haywood left those cotton fields for the city of Detroit where he would become a legend on the playgrounds and high school basketball courts.  Instead of picking cotton he made a career out of picking rebounds off the backboards and scoring baskets in record numbers.

His high school basketball performances earned him a scholarship to Trinidad College where he averaged 28 points and 22 rebounds a game for one season. He returned home to play at the University of Detroit and averaged an eye popping 32 points and 22 rebounds.

Trinidad and the University of Detroit were just warm up stops on his basketball journey.  He would be only 18 years old in 1968 when he led the United States Olympic team to the gold medal in Mexico City.  This was the same year sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos made their historical statement against racial segregation in America.  During the presentations of medals they silently raised their black fist signature gloves in protest.  The protest was heard around the world.

George Foreman followed their act of defiance by waving the American flag in the ring after winning a Gold Medal in boxing.  Those were three unforgettable moments and one moment Spencer would later say “I would rather forget.  Tommie and John were putting their futures in jeopardy and were banished from the Olympic Village for their defiant act.  If you were black and you were not going to support them, it was best you kept it to yourself.”

Instead of returning to the University of Detroit Spencer joined the newly organized American Basketball Association (ABA).  In Denver he immediately became the face of the new league when he averaged 30 points and 19 rebounds a game.  He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year.

Despite his basketball glory and bright lights and big cities, Spencer never forgot the cotton fields in his native Mississippi.  He remembered the long hours his mother labored in those fields picking cotton for pennies on a dollar.  His choice to leave college was easy, turning pro he would be able to make those cotton fields just a bad memory.

In 1970 with the support and encouragement of his mentor and high school coach Will Robinson, he decided to challenge the NBA’s volunteer slavery rule, “No college no play.”

The challenge would be a very lonely journey and sometimes it was hard to tell whether his new NBA Seattle Supersonic teammates were playing with him or against him.  The one man he knew was in his corner was team owner Sam Schulman.  Schulman was the NBA’s Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavs) long before Cuban.

He marched to his own drummer; while Spencer was suing the NBA for trying to bar him, Schulman was suing the league for violating anti-trust laws.  If those were not enough headaches for Spencer, the University of Detroit and the ABA was suing him for leaving school early and breach of contract respectively.

Those were difficult times for a young man who had not yet celebrated his 21^st birthday.  There were times when he was served with injunctions just before the tip-off of a game and banished from the arena.  He slept in cars and in the team bus waiting for the game to end.  The injunctions became a guessing game.  It was hard to tell where and when the next injunction would be served.

Spencer played in only 33 games in the 1970-71 NBA season, starting, stopping and starting again with each temporary injunction.

The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, ruled in his favor and he later became “Public Enemy No. 1” in the NBA.

He had to grow up early and he became a “Man Child” before his time.  There will be 24 players playing in the NBA All-Star Game in Dallas, Texas in 2010, 21 of the All-Stars came into the NBA and became instant millionaires thanks to Spencer’s kicking down the door to free agency.

He blazed the path for the likes of Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dywane Wade and Kwame Brown.  But there are too many of them who don’t have a clue to who Spencer is as it relates to them and the NBA.

They don’t know, thanks to the NBA and brothers in so-called major media who refuse to take a stand and have fallen for just anything as it relates to Black History.  It looks like most of them (media) have been brainwashed by the NBA and have followed their lead in pretending Spencer Haywood is just a figment of their imagination.  For proof, do a Google search for “NBA History: African-American Influence and Breaking Down Barriers.”  Spencer Haywood’s name is nowhere to be found.  The sad part of this puzzle is that no one in the media has asked the question why?  Charles Barkley, Michael Wilbon, Stephan A. Smith, etc. all have an opinion on everything else but refuse to address the Spencer Haywood case.

Spencer’s groundbreaking accomplishment was more important than Earl Lloyd becoming the first black to play in an NBA game or Red Auerbach playing five black players for the first time.  Free agency impacted every NBA player black and white.

Earl Lloyd was denied his rightful place in NBA History for 50 years until I asked NBA legendary coach the late Red Auerbach to join me in a campaign to get him inducted into the hall of fame.  Earl was finally inducted in 2002.  NFL Green Bay Packer legendary safety Willie Wood was also ignored for decades.  He stood by and watched as his teammates were voted into the hall of fame one by one.  He was left on the sidelines and reduced to a cheerleader.  In 1985 I started an “Induct Willie Wood” campaign with long time Washington Time sports columnist Dick Heller on my sports talk show ‘Inside Sports.’  Willie was inducted into the hall of fame in 1989.

Boston Celtic coach and benefactor, Doc Rivers was quoted saying, “For the most part, Spencer has just been taken for granted by many of us.  But what he did was huge for everyone.  We should all be thanking him.”

After the court ruled in Spencer’s favor he continued to play heads and shoulders above the rim.  In 1972 and 1973, he was on the All-NBA first team and became a chartered member of the All-Star game.  During that era he was one of the five best players in the league.

I met Spencer Haywood shortly after his arrival in the “Big Apple” New York City.  I was introduced to Spencer by CBS and NBA color analyst Sonny Hill.  Spencer would later become a regular on my sports talk show ‘Inside Sports.’  Sonny Hill played an important role in my success as a sports talk radio personality—he was “All Access.”

The trade to the New York Knicks took Spencer over the top when it came to the fast life and drugs.  He took the Big Apple by storm and made all the rich and famous parties driving a Rolls Royce and with his beautiful wife, Iman on his arm.  She was one of the world’s top fashion models.  Frank Sinatra once said in  song, “New York, New York if you can make it here you can make it anywhere.”  Spencer Haywood had made it!

When Spencer was at the top of his game as a NBA “Power Forward” he was one of the best.  There were several other players who I thought was his equal, Gus Johnson of the Washington Bullets and George McGinnis of the Philadelphia 76ers.  They also put the POWER into the forward position.  They had the finesse of ballet dancers with a linebacker’s mentally.  When they met head to head it was pro basketball at its best.  I would take anyone of these guys and match them with any similar Power Forwards in the NBA’s 50 Greatest (Barkley, DeBusschere, Lucas).  I would bet Spencer, George and Gus would win.

Spencer’s love affair with the Knicks was over before he could say “Where is the next party?”  He suffered a knee injury and that didn’t help his career.  Spencer had more time on his hands than NBA games and depression set in and the drugs were breakfast, lunch and dinner.  In 1979 the Knicks shot an air ball to the Los Angeles Lakers and traded him, it was the beginning of his end.

Evidently, the Knicks thought, with the Lakers Spencer would feel more at home.  The Lakers were known as Drug Central of the NBA.  It was said the best high in the NBA was found in the Los Angeles Lakers locker room.  He hit rock bottom at the end of the 1979-80 season when the team suspended him in the midst of the NBA Finals because of his drug use.  It is rumored that Spencer went to sleep on the court while doing stretching exercise.

The Lakers met the Philadelphia 76ers in game six of the NBA Championship finals, and 6’9 rookie Magic Johnson started at Center in the place of the injured Kareem Abdul Jabbar.  The Lakers defeated the 76ers and Magic scored 42 points, handed out 12 assist and pulled down 15 rebounds.  Spencer never got to see the game because he was high on drugs.  The Lakers released him.  His next stop was Italy, France for a year and he then returned to the NBA to play with the Washington Bullets from 1981 to 1983.

When his contract was up in 1983 I could tell that Spencer had a lot on his mind and he still had a mission to fulfill.  One of the things we talked about was him getting his ring from the Lakers for the 1980 championship season.  He was voted a share of the money but never got his ring.  He was also concerned about his daughter Zulekha now that he and his wife Iman were having their problems.  He seemed to be more concerned about reclaiming his NBA name.

Spencer had a passion for children and had no patience for politicians who used children only as a sound bite.  He was proud of being sober from alcohol and drugs and the constant battle it took to stay that way.  I took him for his word because he never did drugs or alcohol in my presence.  Spencer knew all the athletes and sporting personalities who had drug problems in DC.  The celebrity drug community in every city is a small and close knit group.  The names he gave me I already had because of my street network.  Some these same personalities are still sitting on NBA benches and hiding behind television microphones.

The great Power Forward I once enjoyed watching was now just a shadow of himself, his greatness seldom found its way on to the basketball court at Capitol Centre.  Despite his diminishing skills he was still a great human being and a joy to be around.  He always kept it real.

He cared little about material things.  I remember when he was leaving town for over a week on a road trip with the team.  He wanted to leave his Rolls Royce with me to have it serviced while he was gone.  My wife Hattie almost had a fit and refused to allow me to keep his car.  I called Spencer and told him the bad news about her being worried about me having an accident.  He then asked me to put her on the telephone.  I gave Hattie the telephone and two minutes later she was saying “Okay.”  I don’t know what he said, but Spencer had away with words.  She later told me he said “Hattie I have insurance and Harold has a license, what’s the problem?”

I was disappointed when I read the story by Tim Povtak senior NBA writer for the blog FANHOUSE how the NBA had pimped him and brought him to his knees while he tried to re-claim his name.

The story said that Spencer had tried to lobby the league for several years to name the NBA entry rule after him, like the Supreme Court ruling that still bears his name, but that effort wilted and failed.

I appreciate the writer Povtak being diplomatic and using the word “Lobby” instead of begging, because that is exactly what it sounded like to me.

According to Povtak, the rule has been altered a few times through the collective bargaining agreement with the union, yet the premise has remained the same.  Thanks to NBA Union Representative Billy Hunter, if it ain’t about him you can count yourself out.  The Billy Hunter that I know is not going to stand up for anyone but himself.  He sold Spencer out to the NBA.

Povtak goes on to say “It took the league years to gradually warm up to Haywood after what he had done.  He has been sober now for over 3 decades.  He has spent the last 2 decades as a league ambassador, traveling the world to promote the NBA.  He served as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.  He still speaks often to young players about the pitfalls that once swallowed him up.”  It sounds like the NBA made him do community service to re-claim his name and they are now throwing him a bone during NBA All-Star weekends.

I am going to address the first sentence in the paragraph above, “It took the league years to warm up to Haywood after what he had done!”  What had he done?  I am reading between the lines that what Spencer had done was drugs and he fought the system that wanted to keep him from earning a living playing professional basketball.  The so-called crimes he committed, were they crimes enforced across the board?

If the NBA is punishing Spencer for doing drugs and if drugs are the issue then the NBA Hall of Fame should be half empty.

I would hope the NBA is not punishing him for standing up for his civil rights against their bias rule on free agency.  If that is the case according to the ruling handed down by the Supreme Court they were the problem and not Spencer Haywood.

But there is a problem that is Spencer’s and his alone.  When I read he said “I have two daughters who play basketball, they don’t know who I am in regard to what I did once.  There were times when I was beaten down so badly, I felt almost ashamed of what I did.”  That was not the Spencer Haywood the proud black man that inspired me to keep telling the truth, keep my head up and stay strong!

First, Spencer, have you heard of Home Schooling?  Who can teach your children about your history better than you?  Your children are your legacy and you and only you must make sure they are armed with the real story as it relates to you.

Our history is being stolen, ignored and others have used it for their own financial gain for over 400 years, for example; “Inside Sports” was a title my wife Hattie thought of in 1971 for my new radio sports talk show.  John Walsh a writer for the Style section of the Washington Post decided in 1978 to take my title to New York City and discover Inside Sports Magazine.  This is the American way, he followed the same pattern of Christopher Columbus when he discovered America with native Indians already occupying the land.  How can you discover something that is already taken?

This was my fault I should have trademarked the name as I was advised from the very beginning.  I made it easy for him.  Guess who owns the trade mark to Inside Sports, how about News Week Magazine own by the Washington Post newspaper!  When I changed my show title to The Original Inside Sports, Walsh changed the magazine’s title to The Original Inside Sports Magazine!  Walsh left a paper trail that Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder could follow.  It is too bad it was not murder he committed in America what he did is called “White Collar Crime,” people like Walsh don’t have original ideas of their own so they take from others.

Spencer, you had a front row seat as the NBA and Billy Hunter proved they could care less about your pioneering efforts and great pro basketball career.  There will be black brothers in media who will congratulate you on your pioneering efforts at NBA All-Star weekend.  The faces will look familiar so ask them “where have you been for the past 30 years?”  See if Billy Hunter can look you in your eyes and say “Spencer I tried.”  Keep it real!

Our history will be overlooked and made out to be a joke if we don’t take charge, for example; Mike & Mike celebrated Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday several years ago on their morning show. Th show is heard and seen on ESPN nationally.  Mike Greenberg in a discussion about Rev. King called him out of his name when he referred to him as “Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Coon King, Jr.”  The silence from blacks heard, seen and read at media outlets like PTI, FANHOUSE, AROUND THE HORN, WASHINGTON POST and USA TODAY was deafening.  Not a protested word was heard or read!

Boxing promoter Don King says “Racism is the biggest business in the world.”

Spencer, if we don’t keep our own history it won’t be kept.  Most will celebrate Black History Month the same way NBC television tried to do in New York City several years ago.  The cafeteria’s black chef made up a menu of fried chicken, collar greens, potato salad, chitlings, yams and cornbread and a drink of choice (no desert, watermelon was out of season).  The menu title “Black History Month Menu All You Can Eat.”

What happen to food for thought with names on the menu like, Harriet Tubman, Marcus Garvey, Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, William DuBoise, Paul Roberson and the list goes on and on?

In 1993, Jill Nelson penned a book titled “Volunteer Slavery” as it related to black writers and employees of the Washington Post newspaper.  According, to her book when she joined the Washington Post in 1986 she became a Volunteer Slave.  Jill and Spencer have something in common, twenty-four years later little or nothing has changed.

In all honesty and fairness we cannot continue to lay all the blame of racism at the doorstep of the NBA and the Washington Post.  We (Blacks) must take some responsible for not being able to see the forest for the trees!

Check and see who owns and calls the shots at BET, Essence Magazine, Radio One and TV One.  Ebony Magazine recently sold their archives to the Internet giant Google.  This means in the future if we want information about our history we are going to have to buy it from Warner Brothers, Comcast and Google.

In 2010, forty-five years after the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, I have to ask myself why is it we have not developed our own giants in media?  Where are our media outlets that can compare with or challenge, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox News, CNN, USA Today, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, etc?

Where are the voices in black media who we can compare with or challenge Larry King, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Russ Limbaugh, Howard Stern, Diane Sawyer, Barbra Waters and Katie Couric?

The more things change the more they remain the same.  Mississippi and two-dollars a day are not as far away as we think!

BLACK HISTORY 365 DAYS OF THE YEAR

Rev. Joseph DeLaine

Dr. Martin Luther King                  

Dr. Charles H. Thomas

In 1959 I was a freshman at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, N. C.  In nearby Greensboro,  A&T University students were about to under take a movement that would highlight the modern day Civil Rights Movement.  The students would stage sit-ins at downtown restaurants that refuse to serve black customers and the rest is Civil Rights history.  The movement would spread to Winston-Salem where legendary coach Clarence “Bighouse” Gaines found it necessary to call a meeting with all the athletes.  He warned us not to go anywhere near downtown or get involved in any kind of way with the sit-ins.  The warning was directed at the DC and New York contingents on campus.  He said, “the consequences of getting involved and getting caught—a bus ticket back to the ghetto.”  My homeboy and roommate Big Al Mayor, Chicago basketball sharpshooter Barney Hood and his Lynchburg, Virginia teammate Lutheran Wiley met me at the neighborhood deli and we hitched hiked downtown to join the boycott.  The four of us made it back to campus without incident.  Coach Gaines would not let it go, he kept saying, ‘I know you went downtown yesterday.  There are some pictures and I am waiting to see them.’  I was on pins and needles for a couple of days but the photos never surfaced.  I think he was bluffing, he never mentioned it again.

I find it difficult to believe that this is 2015 and we are observing Rev. Martin Luther King’s birthday and the theme song is still “We Shall Overcome.”

Our history and future are still little known black history facts as it relates to the bravery of some black South Carolinians.  They created America’s first civil rights movement.  The pictorial history can be found of the movement in the book “Out of the Box in Dixie”

Photographed and chronicled by civil rights famed photographer Cecil J. Williams (www.freedomjusticesimages.com).The book clearly shows the modern day movement started in Clarendon, South Carolina long before Brown vs. Board of Education, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, and the lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro.  Author Cecil Williams is a cousin of Dr. Charles H. Thomas Jr.  Dr. Thomas was one of the leaders of the movement when it moved from Clarendon to Orangeburg, South Carolina in the 50’s.  Cecil was still in high school but was armed with a camera and he would travel.

The Godfather of the civil rights movement was a spiritual man of God by the name of Rev. Joseph DeLaine.  In 1949 Rev. DeLaine and his friend Harry Briggs organized a group of parents in Clarendon and formed a picket line and challenged school segregation in the county.  The Briggs vs Elliott petition bearing Harry Briggs’ name was the forerunner of Brown vs.  Board of Education.  Their challenge was the first to move to the Supreme Court.  Several years later four other cases would evolve into Brown vs Board of Education.  Famed civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall would                     represent the plaintiffs.  In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools unconstitutional.  My Spingarn high school basketball teammate the late Spotswood Bolling would be the lead plaintiff in integrating the Washington, DC Public School system (Bolling vs Board of  Education).

HBell                          Spotswood Bolling

We thank Harry Briggs and Rev. DeLaine for their sacrifices and courage against all odds.  The Clarendon County police took out a warrant for Rev. DeLaine’s arrest after he returned gun fire defending his family and home from members of the Klu Klux Klan.  The white folks of Clarendon County also thanked Rev. DeLaine by burning his church to the ground.  He would later have to flee for his life to New York City.  It was there in 1956 the First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended a rally on behalf of Rev. DeLaine.  The rally was held at Madison Square Garden with actress Tulalah Bankhead in attendance.

The DeLaine family inspect the ruins of their church

With Rev. DeLaine exiled to New York City the Clarendon County Klan thought they had ended the fight for freedom in South Carolina but his neighbors in Orangeburg County had his back.

Attorney Thurgood Marshall would become an advisor to the Orangeburg freedom fighters led by a “Dream Team” of civil rights leaders that included members of the NAACP, clergy, and the late Dr. Charles H. Thomas Jr. a Professor of Psychology at South Carolina State University.  Thurgood Marshall would go on to become the first black judge to be seated on the Supreme Court.

During one student uprising the Orangeburg County police swooped down on protesters and locked up over 350 students.  They were held in an outdoor jail like stockade, it reminded many of Nazi Germany.  The New York Times published a front page picture of students in the stockade.

Dr. Thomas picks up his children from jail (Hattie in shades)

Dr. Thomas and the entire Thomas clan were on the front lines of the civil rights movement.  The Thomas Family without a doubt is the “First Family of Civil Rights” in Orangeburg County.

On several occasions Dr. Thomas had to put up his house for collateral to get his children and other students out of jail.  It was the norm for Atty. Mathew Perry to be summoned to get Hattie, Charlease, Loretta, and Reggie all out of the Orangeburg County jail.  Cops and judges knew the Thomas’ family, they were called “The Thomas Clan.”

It was definitely a family affair. The family participation included Dr. Thomas’ wife Elease, sister Nancy and brother Milbren.  They could be seen protecting his back on the picket line during marches in downtown Orangeburg.  Future sons-in-law Weldon Hammond was a student and Robert Stevenson was teaching at South Carolina State.  They also prove to be a pain in the ass to law-enforcement.

Dr. Thomas, sister-in-law Nancy and brother Milbren bring up the rear

Ann Thomas Riley the youngest daughter would be one of the first blacks to integrate the Orangeburg all white high school and Harold Riley her husband was one the students shot during the “Orangeburg Massacre” School teacher Gloria Rackley was another important member of the Thomas clan she was known to the family as Aunt Gloria.  She was a true warrior where ever you saw the Thomas clan she was just a step behind.  Her ties were so strong to the family and the NAACP the Orangeburg County school system threatened her with dismissal if she did not cut her ties.  She walked away and continued to fight.  When Charlease was arrested the cops tried to separate her from the rest of the protesters because she was Dr. Thomas’ daughter.  It was Gloria Rackley who got between her and the cops and said “no way.”  Gloria’s daughter Lurma would later become the Press Secretary for “DC Mayor for Life” Marion Barry.

The fight for civil rights got so intense in Orangeburg the Rev. Martin Luther King came to a rally organized by Dr. Thomas.  He was a spectator in January 1963.  This was just months before his now famous March on Washington.

Dr. King a face in the crowd

Dr. Thomas would later take over the reins as President of the local chapter of the NAACP.  His advisor and right hand was Attorney Mathew Perry.  Attorney Perry would show up in a courtroom and the white judges would immediately take a bathroom break and sometimes would not come back.  Attorney Perry would go on to become the first black judge to be seated on the South Carolina Court of Appears.

Dr. Thomas started and founded voter registration for the entire state of South Carolina.  He was also known as a “Bad Ass” to the white folks and the Uncle Toms in Orangeburg county.  There were the “House Negroes” who would sit in on the strategy meetings and report the upcoming plans to their white bosses.  It got so bad Dr. Thomas and the other coordinators of the marches and boycotts had to have two meetings.  The first meeting they would give out misleading information and plans for the ‘House Negroes’ to carry back to their bosses.  The second meeting would be held to discuss the true plan.  Sixty years later that type of plantation mentality is still holding us back.

Dr. Thomas helping a student register to vote

The Orangeburg Massacre was the worst murder of students on an educational institution in the history of this country (including Kent State).  White law-enforcement would lead Claflin and South Carolina State students on peaceful daylight marches to downtown Orangeburg but under the cover of darkness they became deadly assassins.  In 1968 highway patrolmen and local cops shot and killed three students and wounded 27 more.  My brother-in-law Harold Riley a native of Orangeburg took two bullets that night and watched his friend Samuel Hammond die.  One bullet is still lodged in his leg. These hideous acts were carried out without provocation on the campus of South Carolina State University.

Police escort during daylight hours

On that fateful night students were at first participating in a peaceful march and demonstration at a local segregated bowling alley just off campus.  There might have been some name calling among the students directed toward law-enforcement.  The cops evidently took it personal and without warning started shooting in the direction of the students who retreated to their campus.  When the smoke had cleared three students were dead.  The cops claimed they were fired on first and forty plus years later they have yet to come up with a smoking gun.  In 2009 there was a black man headed for the White House but still in 2015 there is Justice and Just-Us in America!

The Orangeburg Massacre was the worst murder of students on an educational institution in the history of this country (including Kent State).  White law-enforcement would lead Claflin and South Carolina State students on peaceful daylight marches to downtown Orangeburg but under the cover of darkness they became deadly assassins.  In 1968 highway patrolmen and local cops shot and killed three students and wounded 27 more.  My brother-in-law Harold Riley a native of Orangeburg took two bullets that night and watched his best friend Samuel Hammond die.  One bullet is still lodged in his leg. These hideous acts were carried out without provocation on the campus of South Carolina State University.

On that fateful night students were first participating in a peaceful march and demonstration at a local segregated bowling alley just off campus.  There might have been some name calling among the student directed toward law-enforcement.  The cops evidently took it personal and without warning started shooting in the direction of the students who retreated to their campus.  When the smoke had cleared three students were dead.  The cops claimed they were fired on first and forty years later they have yet to come up with a smoking gun.  In 2009 despite a black man headed for the White House there is still Justice and Just-Us in America!

I read a story titled “The Morning After” in the Washington Post written by black columnist Eugene Robinson.  The story related to the election of America’s first Black President I almost brought up my breakfast of grits, eggs and sausage.  Robinson was interviewing Georgia Democrat and civil rights icon John Lewis and said something like “I think John Lewis is one of the most courageous men of the civil rights crusade.  I thought of the beating he took on the Pettis Edmond Bridge and the scars his body still bears.”  What makes Robinson’s observation so ridiculous is the fact that this brother has roots in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  His father taught at Claflin University during the height of the civil rights crusade and he does not have a clue.  The struggles of the pioneers in Clarendon and Orangeburg counties were never mentioned in his column.

The real heroes of the civil rights crusade were young black men like the three brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice, they gave their lives.  John Lewis’ contributions are commendable but they are pale in comparison.

Delano Middleton, Samuel Hammond and Henry Smith died like animals with white cops standing over them with guns pointed and yelling “Die nigger die” and they did.  No man or woman in America should ever have to die like that and for Eugene Robinson not to be aware of the sacrifices of those young men is another crime in the black community.  But there he is in the Washington Post and on National television every week claiming to be an expert on Black America.  For this Eugene Robinson was awarded a Pulitzer Prize?  Something is wrong with this picture!  The bottom-line, we must keep our own history.

S. C. State troopers stand over the dead bodies of South Carolina State students 

In the State Capitol of Columbia South Carolina there stands a tall imposing stature of a man who stood and still stands for white supremacy—the late Senator Strom Thurmond.  During daylight hours he was seen preaching hate niggers and at night he was sleeping with one.  He fathered a black child out of wedlock and unlike some deadbeat dads he made sure she was properly cared for and received a good education.  She was enrolled at South Carolina State where he would often visit her to make sure the hired hands were doing their job properly.

Dr. Thomas and Senator Thurmond had several eyeball to eyeball confrontations during the movement.  They would later become great friends out of respect for each other.  He later became a family friend.  Dr. Thomas was finally inducted into the Black South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2006.

Senator Strom Thurmond and the Bells

When Dr. Thomas decided that he had enough of the “Player Haters” and envy and jealous Negroes in Orangeburg he moved to DC.  It was Strom Thurmond who recommended him for a Presidential appointment to the Richard Nixon White House.  Dr. Thomas would accept an appointment to become the Director of Equal Opportunity Employment for the United States Post Office.

Thanks to Dr. Thomas, Senator Thurmond and I became fast friends and he became a big supporter of Kids In Trouble, Inc.  One Christmas he assigned his office staff to help me coordinate my toy party for at-risk children.

Later Barack Obama will take his rightful place as the 44^th President of the United States of America.  There are a lot of people who are claiming they helped lay the ground work for this historical moment in American history and maybe they did.  But I know for a fact that Charles H. Thomas help lay the ground work for his historical election.

Congratulations to the trailblazing Tuskegee Airmen and the Little Rock 9 who all received invitations to the swearing in of President Barrack Obama.  Someone dropped the ball when they failed to invite The Thomas H. Thomas Jr. family.

Singing legend Sam Cooke had a concert in Columbia South Carolina during the height of the Civil Rights movement.  He performed in front of a segregated audience.  It is rumored that experience inspired him to write his classic “A Change Is Going to come.”

Sam Cooke was a prophet:

A CHANGE DID COME–

A CHANGE IN SENATOR STROM THURMOND

A CHANGE IN AMERICA

THE CHANGE——-BARRACK OBAMA BUT MORE CHANGE IS NEEDED!

The out pouring of love showered on Emanuel Steward after his surprising and sudden death was well earned.  His death shocked the boxing world.  He was a genius in the confines and corners of a boxing ring on any given night or day.

He was affectionately known as Manny to some but I preferred to call him Emanuel (I liked Emanuel because it was biblical).

His friend and colleague the late boxing historian Bert Sugar once described him as being “The Energizing Bunny” of professional boxing.  To me he was much like the character starring in the epic television series Richard Boone “Have Gun Will Travel,” instead of a gun he had boxing gloves.  Emanuel was always just a telephone call and plane ride away from his next boxing assignment.

There was always some champion, former or potential champion who needed to have his “Mojo” fixed and he was the man often called on to fix it!

His roots were in West Virginia but his heart was in the Motor City of Detroit.  He moved to the city with his mother when he was 12 years old.

Emanuel easily adapted to the bright lights and big city of Detroit.  He quickly learned the language of the streets.  He became a boxing hustler of young men in the good sense of the word.

He had an outstanding amateur boxing career with 94 wins and 3 losses and he quickly learned pro boxing was not his calling and turned to coaching.  The rest is boxing history.

The three biggest institutions in Detroit in the 70s and 80s were General Motors headed by Lee Iacocca, Motown Records headed by Berry Gordy and the Kronk Boxing Gym headed by Emanuel Steward.

I met Emanuel in the late 70s when he was making his mark as one of the great trainers and forces to be reckoned with in boxing.

U. S. A. amateur boxing.  The first thing that attracted me to him was his outgoing personality which made everyone around him a friend.  It took him a little while to warm up to me.  I was then a friend of Sugar Ray Leonard and he slept with one eye open and one eye closed when I was in the building.

My personal relationship with Emanuel grew out my friendship with his partner Prentis Byrd.  Whenever I would enter in their space Emanuel would yell, “Prentis, here comes your man Harold Bell” and this big smile would break out on his face!

Emanuel accepts the Kids In Trouble, Inc Life Time Achievement Award

There was definitely a distinct difference in the two camps.  The Kronk Gym was built on a foundation of love, family and loyalty. Team Leonard’s foundation was built on one of mistrust, lies, theft and “Player Hating.”

Emanuel was flawed like most human beings.  He was not tall, but he was dark and handsome and two out of three is not bad.

These characteristics along with his taste for fashion, quick wit and infectious smile made him a lady’s man.  He had a girl in every port.  He never saw a crap table he didn’t like and a pipe he could not smoke.

This was the fast and furious world of boxing, but these character flaws did not make him a bad human being, but I do think they shorten his life.  I had his cell phone number and it was very seldom that I called when he was not on the run to an airport or meeting.  It seems like he always had a cold; we would be talking and he would be sneezing and coughing.  I would say “Emanuel you have got to slow down and take better care of yourself.” His response was often, “I am okay.  I will call you when I get back in town.”

His heart was as big as the boxing ring when it came to his fighters and the people he loved.  He would literally give you the shirt off of his back (if he had not already lost it).

I remember after one fight in Vegas when Tommy’s younger brother Billy got a hot hand at the crap table.  Emanuel and Tommy walked away with a bundle (I won over $1,000 betting scared)!

On the way to get something to eat he put another $1,000 in my jacket pocket.

It was business as usual for him to take one of the fighters off of the mean streets of Detroit.  His home would become their home.  According to him, this and other missteps cost him his first marriage.

Television personality Geraldo Rivera once described the world of pro boxing as a place where the rats were bigger than the lions (Don King).

There was a lot of stress connected with Emanuel’s boxing success.  For example; I remember one year in Atlantic City he was working the corner of Mike Tyson for Don King Promotions. After the fight Don had him running back and forth to his room and made him wait in line for his money.

When you work for DK (Don King) there are a whole lot of mind games played devised by him and a lot of going along to get along!

Emanuel often had money problems and during preparation for the Tyson fight he asked DK for and got a “Pay Day Loan.”  Big mistake.  After the fight DK acted accordingly–like a jackass.   Despite his human flaws, Emanuel Steward was one of “The Good Guys.”

His very first champion out of the Kronk gym was Hilmer Kenty (a gentleman and class act).  However, his crown jewel and meal ticket was the warrior known as “The Hit Man” the one and only Thomas Hearns.

I was in Detroit covering the fights when Hilmer and Tommy won their first titles.  Tommy and Emanuel were as close as brothers.  They were like shoes and socks, one could not go anywhere without the other!

Hilmer stopped Ernesto Espana in the 9^th round in March 1980 to win the Lightweight World title at Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit.

Five months later I would return to Detroit to watch Tommy knock out Pipino Cuevas in two rounds to win the Welterweight title.

It was during this visit to Detroit I would introduce Emanuel to my friend Wayne Davis who was the Director of the FBI field office in Detroit.  Wayne and I had become fast friends when he was working in DC during the late 60s. It was that same time period I was working in the streets with youth gangs for the DC Recreation Department.

I knew Wayne and Emanuel would like each other because of their outgoing personalities.  Neither man was a phony in any sense of of the word.

Wayne would later write and thank me for introducing him to Emanuel.

When I became a trusted member of the Kronk Family Gym it was nothing for Emanuel or Prentis to call me and say “Harold we are going to be in DC this week and we are bringing Tommy and Hilmer, line something up for us to do in the community!”

I think they got a kick out of coming to DC and pissing Sugar Ray Leonard off and exposing him for forgetting who he was and where he came from!

In 2007 at the 37th Annual Christmas toy party for needy children we honored Emanuel with the Kids In Trouble, Inc., Life Time Achievement Award for his support of Inside Sports and our many community endeavors.

Emanuel had a lot in common with the great boxing guru the late Angelo Dundee.  They both were class acts and generous with their time.  Emanuel was definitely the Godfather of boxing in the Motor City.

When Emanuel’s passing was officially announced, words of love came in from around the world.

HBO Sports president Ken Hershman said, “There are no adequate words to describe the enormous degree of sadness and loss we feel at HBO Sports with the tragic passing of Manny Steward. For more than a decade, Manny was a respected colleague who taught us so much not only about the sweet science but also about friendship and loyalty. His energy, enthusiasm and bright smile were a constant presence. Ten bells do not seem enough to mourn his passing. His contributions to the sport and to HBO will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Washingtonian and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said, “With the loss of Emanuel Steward, we have lost a true Detroit icon.  Emanuel Steward embodied our city’s toughness, our competitive spirit, and our determination to always answer the bell. We are grateful for Emanuel Steward’s many contributions to our city and his impact on generations of young people.”

There were words of condolences from former heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis and reigning heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.

Klitschko said, “I will miss our time together. The long talks we had about boxing, the world, and life itself. Most of all I will miss our friendship, rest in peace Emanuel.”

“(My brother) Vitali and I, along with the entire Team Klitschko, send our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Emanuel’s family and friends,” Wladimir Klitschko said in a statement. “It is not often that a person in any line of work gets a chance to work with a legend. Well I was privileged enough to work with one for almost a decade.

“I will miss our time together,” Klitschko said. “The long talks about boxing, the world, and life itself but most of all I will miss our friendship. You will be greatly missed.

My team and I will carry on with the goals we had set while Emanuel was with us because that is exactly what Emanuel would have wanted. I know he will be with us in spirit along the way and we will accomplish these goals in his honor, until we meet again my friend.”

Klitschko, is training in Austria for a November 10 title defense against Mariusz Wach, knew the gravity of Steward’s illness and was forced this week to announce a replacement for Steward for the fight, tapping Steward Disciple and pro heavyweight Johnathon Banks, a Kronk Gym product.

Emanuel began working with Klitschko in 2004, and their first fight resulted in a knockout loss to Lamon Brewster. But under Steward’s steady hand, Klitschko rebuilt himself into a heavyweight force and one of the most dominant heavyweight champions in history.

He got a lot of the credit for helping Klitschko mentally as much as he did for training him physically. Klitschko and Steward shared a close bond that went deeper than simply trainer and fighter.

The words of Lennox Lewis I think summed up the feelings of those who knew and loved Emanuel Steward when he said:  “I’m completely devastated by the passing of my long time friend, mentor and trainer Emanuel ‘Manny’ Steward, Manny has helped me get through some of the biggest fights in my career and I only regret that I couldn’t return the favor and see him through his biggest fight.

We’ve maintained a close relationship and the last time we spoke he seemed his usual upbeat self so it was very disturbing to hear about his illness and rapid decline. It is with a heavy heart that the realization of what I hoped were just rumors, are now in fact true. Manny always told me I was the best, but the truth is, he was the best and I’m grateful, privileged and honored to be counted among his many historic successes.  We’ve truly lost one of boxing’s crown jewels. Manny was giving, selfless, compassionate and stern. He always gave back to the community and never forgot where he came from. He was an institution unto himself and I’m proud to have had him in my corner for so many years.

I’m extremely grateful for the time that I was given with him and he will be severely missed by all who knew and loved him. I’ll miss his smile, his frank no-holds-barred truthfulness and our discussions on boxing and life. My prayers and condolences go out to his family at this very difficult time.”

In this time where a lot of attention is being focused on sports figures and their struggle with finances, I hope Emanuel’s decade long employment with HBO, his relationship with Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko brothers will mitigate any potential financial woes.

Muhammad Ali, I think described Emanuel best.  I remember asking Ali how he distinguished his true friends.  Ali said:  “Friends are like our shadows they are with you as long as you are in the sun, but once you cross over into the shade your shadow disappears.  A friend is always doing something for you and never expecting anything in return.”  Sounds a lot like my friend Emanuel Steward!

Charles Barkley

Dr. Harry Edwards

Michael Wilbon

The names Jack Johnson, Jesse Owens, Paul Roberson and the list goes on and on when it comes to athletes and politics. Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight Champion of the world. He won the title in 1908 and he was free in every sense of the word. He openly dated white women. Olympic sprinter Jesse Owens won four Gold Medals in the 1936 Olympic Games in spite of the cry of white supremacy by Adolph Hitler. He single handedly crushed the myth in Berlin, Germany with Hitler watching in a private box.  Paul Roberson is considered one of the greatest all-around athletes in American history. He starred in football at Rutgers University. He was also a star in both stage and film versions of the Emperor Jones and Show Boat, and established himself as a popular screen and singing superstar. Paul spoke out against racism and became a world activist and was blacklisted during the paranoia of McCarthyism created by Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950s.

The Trail Blazers

Jack Johnson & Joe Louis    

Paul Roberson  

Jesse Owens

The uproar caused by the five NFL St. Louis players supporting Michael Brown in Ferguson was nothing new when it comes to the black athlete. They were not re-inventing the wheel. In the late 50s NFL legendary running back Jim Brown founded the Black Economic Union to encourage black athletes to give back to the black community and establish their own businesses. He was the leading force of the black athlete’s involvement in support of Muhammad Ali’s stand against the Vietnam War!

In the 1968 Olympic Games sprinters Tommy Smith and John Carlos won the Gold and Bronze medals respectively. But their actions during the award ceremonies made the world take notice. They both raised their hands with Black Gloves opposing racism in America. Dr. Harry Edwards of San Jose State is the author of “The Revolt of the Black Athlete” and was the architect of the 1968 Olympic Project for Human Rights. Smith and Carlos were also student/athletes at San Jose State.

Tommy Smith & John Carlos making a statement against racism in 1968 Olympic Games

Dr. Edwards was once an outstanding athlete on the San Jose State track and field team. He has been a contributor to The Original Inside Sports for over four decades.

When former NBA great and ESPN analyst Charles Barkley’s interview on CNN went viral as it related to his opinion on black men in America/Michael Brown and Ferguson. I contacted Dr. Edwards to make sense of the uproar. I also spoke to Michael Wilbon of ESPN to get his take on his friend Barkley’s views on racism and black men in America. Wilbon has agreed that we can disagree!

He has written two books on Charles Barkley. He said “Harold I didn’t hear the interview but I will see Charles tomorrow and I will get a response!” I turned to ESPN’s PTI to watch Wilbon and his partner Tony Kornheiser, but during that segment of the show there was no mention of Kenny Smith’s Open Letter to Barkley so I moved on.

This was Dr. Harry Edwards’ take on Barkley and Wilbon:  “I love Charles Barkley– as long as he is sitting on the sports desk at TNT trying to explain why the Clippers will never win a championship as long as their toughest, most consistently competitive player is a 6’1″ point guard.  But when he begins to offer jaw-droppingly ignorant and uninformed opinions on issues from Obama’s Syria/ISIS policy to the “criminal” predispositions and proclivities of the Black community, I find something more productive to do like taking out the garbage or cleaning up my lawn. And the saddest part of it all is that he apparently doesn’t realize that the networks and interviewers are just flat out CLOWNING HIM!!!  It’s a “What crazy crap can we prompt Barkley to say. And all the better if it is an attack on Black people!”

The “guess what Charles Barkley said on CNN?” factor is incentive enough for the networks to persist in presenting and promoting this clown show– long past the time when it is either funny or even remotely engaging. Now both Barkley and the interviewers look like clowns– and justifiably so.”

Forget Michael Wilbon – he is as sick and confused as Barkley. He is the guy who while sitting on a major cable network anchor desk said ” I call my Black friends “Nigger” all the time – and there is nothing wrong with that.” This is a sentiment that Barkley agrees with– until the White boy sitting next to them calls somebody “Nigger” and then they want him fired! So don’t hold your breath for Wilbon to exercise either the balls or the intellectual integrity to challenge Barkley on his bull shit.

Dr. Harry Edwards

Summary:
Jeff Roorda business manager of a white St. Louis Police Association called for disciplinary action against the five NFL St. Louis players whose “Hands Up” gesture was an expression of their Freedom of Speech as they ran on to the field of play. He demanded that the players be punished and that the team issue an “public apology.” Roorda has a history of corruption as a St. Louis police officer.

In the meantime, the black Ethical Society of Police (220 members strong) said, “We completely supports the actions of the St. Louis Rams football players in which they showed support for the family of Michael Brown by entering the stadium with their hands up.”

I had the opportunity to listen to the videotaped debate between Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith on Inside the NBA held on Thursday night. The topic, Kenny’s Open Letter to Barkley as it related to Michael Brown and Ferguson.  I was further confused by Barkley’s response to Smith for adding the word “Slavery” to the dialogue in his Open Letter, but he found nothing wrong with his friend Michael Wilbon using the word ‘Nigger’ as his word of choice while addressing his everyday buddies? What ever happen to common sense?

My opinion, Kenny had every right to bring slavery into the conversation. There is an old saying “If you don’t know your history you are bound to repeat it.” It is evident to me that Barkley does not know his black history. Shaq O’Neal made a valid observation when he said, “I don’t believe all the evidence is in the Ferguson case” but he was smart enough to leave the debate in the hands of Smith and Barkley. Shaq is a big supporter of law enforcement.

Any objective person no matter the color of one’s skin could easily see that black folks in the town of Ferguson were set-up to fail—they were in a no win situation. Still burning and looting should not have been an option.

First, it does not take a Grand Jury 100 days to reach a decision on whether Officer Darren Wilson should be send to trial. Second, why would the Governor of the state of Missouri put 400 National Guardsmen on standby before the decision is handed down and why is the decision read at 9:00 pm? Why would a responsible leader put the town in danger by giving the looters an opportunity to seek and destroy under a cover of darkness? Where were the 400 National Guardsmen that the Governor put on alert once the burning and looting started—nowhere to be found? Why were there no arrest made on the first night of the looting and burning? Smells like a set-up to me. The same set-up I was an eye/witness to in DC in 1968 when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, TN.

I was working in the U Street corridor when the orders were send down to the police to only moderate the looting and burning on the first day. The next day there were wholesale arrest, much too late for many businesses and residents of the inner-city—they had lost everything! A piece of Black History Charles Barkley knows absolutely nothing about because of his hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil mentality.
Charles Barkley claims without the police many black communities would be like “The Wild, Wild West!” And his most ridiculous observation ‘I don’t think the death of Eric Garner was a homicide.”

Garner was the black man choked to death on a New York street corner while selling loose cigarettes. He died while six white cops wrestled him to the ground, one had an illegal choke hold barred by the NYPD. He said several times to his attackers, “I can’t breathe.” But no one was listening. The Grand Jury freed the white cop.
But there are still claims that body cameras are the solution to police brutality but when the crime was caught on camera the guilty cop still gets a free pass. Something is wrong with this picture!

I have spent 50 years working in the schools, streets, playgrounds and courts here in the DMV.  I have seen the Good, Bad and the Ugly in law enforcement. There are some goods cops but they are outnumbered by the bad and ugly. The bad and ugly are usually the cowards who hide behind their guns and badges. In today’s world it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish the thugs from the cops. Some people say, “They are one of the same.”

For some reason beyond me the Powers-To-Be can’t see the Big Picture when it comes to police brutality in this country. No amount of body cameras are going to solve the Ebola like disease of racism embedded in police departments throughout this country. “The Code of Silence and The Blue Wall” was established to protect crooked and corrupt cops are the real problems. Plus, the criminal justice system is overrun with judges who go along to get along with the corrupt cops. Until we can find a way to change the plantation mentality thinking of Charles Barkley and the “Us against Them” attitudes of cops around the country, we are going to continue going in circles while the Al Sharptons and the Jesse Jacksons are allowed to keep hustling the black community pretending to keep hope alive while our children and black men die in our streets.

Top: Judges, Harry T. Alexander-Luke Moore and Gene Hamilton-Alex Williams-HBell & Henry Kennedy Jr. Ted Newman, Harry T. Alexander, Larry Brown (NFL), and Gene Hamilton-Larry Brown, Harold McLinton and Gene Hamilton at Bolling Boys Base on Bolling Air Force Base in SE DC.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkafk63frbg

The DC Superior Court once set the standard for fairness, thanks to men like Chief Judge Harold Greene, Judges Harry Alexander, Luke Moore, Eugene Hamilton, Ted Newman, and Henry Kennedy, Jr.  

In Washington, DC in 1968 I was up close and personal during the riots as a Roving Leader for the DC Department of Recreation & Parks’ Youth Gang Task Force.  The riots in Ferguson, Missouri brought back bad memories.  I was in the middle of the chaos in the U Street NW corridor.  My co-worker and former Green Bay Packer great Willie Wood and I teamed up with the late U. S. Marshall, Luke C. Moore, and undercover FBI agent Wayne Davis.  We tried to bring peace back to the streets.  

 Luke was the first black modern-day U. S. Marshall in charge in 1967.  He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and later President Richard Nixon appointed him to the DC Superior Court in 1969.  Abolitionist Frederick Douglas was the first black U. S. Marshall appointed in 1877, he was appointed by President Rutherford Hayes. 

The White House ordered all businesses to shut down during the riots, but Luke had a street corner meeting in front of Ben’s Chili Bowl with owner Ben Ali.  He then called The White House and asked to reconsider and allow Ben’s Chili Bowl to remain open for first respondents, including police, fire departments, doctors/nurses, and youth advocates like myself.  

The request was granted, when the dust, tear gas, and military personnel had cleared the streets, Lee’s Flower Shop, Industrial Bank, and Ben’s Chili Bowl on the U Street corridor were the only remaining black businesses.

Luke, Willie, and I had walked arm and arm through the tear gas streets of NW DC trying to save lives.  Luke would later become a DC Superior Court judge and Willie Wood would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1989.  

Out of the riot ashes Kids In Trouble, Inc. was born, Luke Moore’s contributions to Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports can never be measured in time or money.  

Luke Moore’s contributions to Kids In Trouble and Inside Sports can never be measured in time or money.  He helped me get the Bolling Boys Base for juvenile delinquents off the ground on Bolling Air Force Base in SE DC.  He went directly to DC Mayor Walter Washington and Department of Human Resources Director, Joe Yeldell and all said “Let’s do it!” 

In 1971 Luke helped me to coordinate the opening of Bolling Boys Base for juvenile delinquents.  The first ever on a military installation in the United States.  Bolling Air Force Base was located in SE DC, The home of “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry. 

After I got the go-ahead from the Pentagon, Luke went directly to DC Mayor Walter Washington and the Department of Human  Resources Director, Joe Yeldell, and all said “Let’s do it!”

The District facilities were badly overcrowded and added housing was needed. The success of the Kids In Trouble Christmas Toy Party (1968-2013) can be directly attributed to Judge Luke C. Moore.

Luke encouraged other judges to get involved in the community including, Chief Judge Harold Greene.  He and Luke were in attendance for the grand opening of Bolling Boys Base.  The athletes, politicians, radio & television personalities would all follow their lead when it came to community involvement.

  We had a great staff of judges from the DC Superior Court, it was there the perquisite for fairness could be found in their courtrooms.  They included “The One of a Kind”, Harry T. Alexander, Eugene Hamilton, Ted Newman, Henry Kennedy Jr, and Luke Moore.  They put the community and children first and they led by example.

Kids In Trouble, Inc. kept my wife Hattie and me in and out of the DC Superior Court with troubled kids and their parents.  The courthouse became our home away from home.  I watched people of color and the poor get a fair trial. 

Judge Alexander demanded all attorneys, police officers, and prosecutors to address all defendants as Mr and Mrs in his courtroom.  This was unheard of in any court of law anywhere in the country.  I was in Judge Alexander’s courtroom one morning when he warned a white cop to address the defendants as Mr and Mrs.   The cop kept calling the defendant a boy.   Judge Alexander warned him one more time.  The next time was the last.  time.  The judge banged his gravel and yelled, “Case dismissed, Mistaken Identity.”  Everyone in the courtroom stood up and applauded.

Yes, there was a time when there was, Justice for all and not Just-Us in the courtrooms of the DC Superior Court and I was an eyewitness.

Judge Luke Moore and I talked about what is ahead for minorities and people of color in our courtrooms after the passing of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.  Tough times ahead!

Judge Moore made my day when we were closing the show, I thanked him for being on Inside Sports, and I was honored to be his friend.  Judge Moore is one of the most respected judges to wear a robe in a DC Courtroom, bar none.  He said, “I am always ready to join your program anytime.  You have always done something in this community.  You have been our voice in the media, and we love you for it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkafk63frbg

 GAME PLAN FOR MAKING OUR CHILDREN & COMMUNITY GREAT AND SAFE AGAIN!

AVOID: Politicians, lawyers, and preachers with a history of lying, cheating, stealing, and WORDS that have meant little or nothing when you needed them.  beware, especially of those who will cry,  “I have made mistakes, and I have changed.” If they were a snake in another life, their bite is poison in this life!

While Tiger Woods was lurking it was Phil Mickelson who came out of nowhere to win the British Open.  Just last month Mickelson suffered one of the most devastating defeats of his golf career.  On his birthday he gave away the gift he wanted the most—-the U. S. Open.  

On Sunday afternoon he use that defeat as a motivating tool to win where no one thought he could, the British Open at Murifield.  He was trailing by 5 strokes going into the final round on what many consider the most brutal course on the pro tour. But when the dust ha cleared he had joined Seve Ballesteros and Byron Nelson with five majors and he is one step away from joining golf’s Mount Rushmore: Those who have completed the career grand slam.  

It is only the US Open that keeps Mickelson from joining the select group of career grand slam winners: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

“If I’m able to win the US Open and complete the career grand slam, I think that that’s the sign of the complete great player,” he said. ‘And I’m a leg away and it’s been a tough leg for me.’

“There are five players that have done that and those five players are the greats of the game. You look at them with a different light.”

It was special, to, for Mickelson to win this major after failing so spectacularly at the U. S. Open last month. He twice on the back nine in the final round made bogey from 121 yards away from the green, so it had to feel great to win like this after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

“It’s a huge difference in emotions, as you can imagine,” he said.

“And being so down after the US Open, to come back and use it as motivation, to use it as a springboard, knowing that I’m playing well and to push myself a little bit extra to work harder, to come out on top, in a matter of a month to turn it around, it really feels amazing.  I thought that it could go either way. You have to be resilient in this game because losing is such a big part of it and after losing the US Open, it could have easily gone south, where I was so deflated I had a hard time coming back.”

“But I looked at it and thought I was playing really good golf. I had been playing some of the best golf in my career and I didn’t want it to stop me from potential victories this year, and some potential great play.  I’m glad I didn’t, because I worked a little bit harder and in a matter of a month I’m able to change entirely the way I feel.”

Many players, from Zach Johnson to Fred Couples, congratulated Mickelson.

Steve Williams, the crusty New Zealand caddie who doesn’t exactly see eye to eye with Mickelson, sought him out to shake his hand.

Williams and Mickelson had clashed when Williams worked for Woods, back when Mickelson was in Woods’ shadow, but Sunday it was Tiger who?  

But on the biggest stage, Mickelson doesn’t play second fiddle to him anymore. Happy belated birthday Phil.

October 30, 2014 marked the 40th anniversary for The Rumble in the Jungle.  The historical fight took place in Zaire, Africa. It was there Muhammad Ali shocked and stunned the sports world with when he scored an 8th round knockout of undefeated Heavyweight Champion, George Foreman.  Ali introduced a new never seen before boxing tactic he called “The Rope a Dope.”   The dope he roped was none other then the man they called the Baddest Man on the Planet, Big George Foreman.   He would finally later admit, “Ali out thought me and he outfought me.”

The Greatest and I met in Chicago prior to the big fight.  He invited me to attend as his guest.  I turned down his invitation, I was not too thrilled about flying across all that water.  A decision I now regret.

Despite my turning down his invitation he promised me on his return back to the United States I would be the first media personality to interview him in New York City.  I will always remember how confident he was that he would return victorious.

The champ was a man of his word.  He called me after his arrival back into New York he called me in the middle of the night and gave me the green light to head on up to the Big Apple.  The interview was held in his hotel room overlooking Central Park.

 My producer Rodney Brown and cameraman Wil Williams would accompany me on this historical journey.  On our arrival in the hotel lobby I called the room number he had given me.  He answered the phone and said, “Come on up!”  He opened the door while combing his hair and said “What I tell you boy, I am the Greatest.”  We all started laughing–he was right again.

 In the best interview I have ever seen Ali give.  He talks about controversy, friendship, truth, the innocent of a little child, the difference between a boxer and a fighter, The White House and self-sufficency.  He closes the show talking about his commitment to the Nation of Islam.

The interview is captured in the video titled, “The Legends of Inside Sports.”  Its one of a kind.  This is the Greatest being the Greatest as he talks about The Game Called Life.  Forty years later the topics are still relevant.

The interview is one of a kind there is nothing like it in the market place.  In 2007 a group out of New York brought the rights to Ali’s name and likeness for 50 million dollars and 20% of the monies generated from advertising.  It was a great deal for the champ because of his age and failing health.  

 My interview is distinguished by his left black eye and it was not for sale.  The champ never allows anyone to interview him with marks on his pretty face.  If you ever see any parts of my interview with Ali and he has a black eye–you will know it is my interview with the champ in November of 1974.  The interview made its debut on NBC affiliate WRC-TV 4 in Washington, DC in November 1975.  The entire interview It has not been seen since. Stay tune.