Trayvon Martin and Civil Rights Movement

While trying to find another topic for my last blog post, I stumbled across a few articles acknowledging how the father of Trayvon Martin had been in New York recently as a guest speaker at Nassau Community College. In the article, reported this past Thursday, it had a small clipping consisting of a few quotes from both a professor at the college and Tracy Martin that really capture issues prevalent to this case.

In Mr. Martin’s speech he stated, “We’re here advocating against senseless gun violence, senseless violence period.  Whether it’s black on black, white on black, it doesn’t matter. We’re just advocating against senseless crimes. Because it’s good that we understand each other’s culture, and I don’t think we’ll fully understand each other’s culture until we discuss it with each other.” I like how Mr. Martin acknowledges that we as a nation really need to have these conversations to foster a better, more satisfying environment for everyone. Just like the talk that happened in November at Rhodes about racial issues here on campus, it also needs to happen more effectively everywhere.

Also in the clip, Trent Webb, a professor as Nassau Community College stated, “The whole idea of racial politics in this country, stop-and-frisk and the controversial stand-your-ground laws are all things we deal with here in New York City, and there was something really interesting and inspiring about what transpired after the tragedy of Trayvon Martin.”

The article also mentioned how Tracy Martin really wants his son to be remembered as this century’s Emmett Till, as well as have his death reawaken the nation’s civil rights movement. While I am not trying to stir anything, I find this matter to be incredibly controversial especially how reading the comments section of the article was baffling.

In a poll response to the article:

67% LOL

17% Cool

0% What

0% Meh

17% Sad

0% Rage

While I have no idea how many responders there were, this response bothered me because of what is being advocated. The professor from the college made a good point mentioning the racial politics of this country and how major cities such as New York City deal with issues of racial profiling. These issues are still so prevalent today that the comments are making the situation less important by desensitizing the subject. How can society move forward if it is not being taken seriously? Back to Tracy Martin, can the case of Trayvon Martin be related to Emmett Till, or is making this parallel completely insignificant?  

Sources:

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/trayvon-martin-s-father-wants-son-s-death-to-renew-civil-rights-movement-1.7807409

http://www.longislandpress.com/2014/04/24/trayvon-martins-father-speaks-of-grief-and-overcoming-adversity/

Uniting Memphis through the Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies basketball team has been a significantly positive organization for the city of Memphis. The charity work done by the players as well as the money that comes into the city due to the organization has been extremely helpful for the city. I believe that the less measurable but more important result of the team is how it has united the city of Memphis and its residents to come together and cheer for something. As divided as the city of Memphis is both financially and racially, the Grizzlies are something that bring people of all backgrounds together.

Last year, ESPN Magazine named the Memphis Grizzlies the Best Overall Professional Sports Franchise in North America. This is not due to wins or losses or how much revenue the team brings in, but instead focuses on the impact that the organization has had on the community. “The overall ranking measures how much the organization gives back to fans for the time, money and emotion invested in its product” (NBA).  The Memphis Grizzlies organization has been a remarkable help in the city. Players spend their time giving back to this community by donating money to charities or by volunteering at places that need help. Also, the team’s style of play pays homage to and is symbolic of the blue-collar atmosphere of the city and the work ethic of its citizens. The stream of revenue that the team does bring into the city is also useful.

Coming to school in Memphis, I had noticed that people from all over the city were extremely supportive of the Grizzlies. After experiencing this for the past three years, I have understood why this was the case. The organization exemplifies what the city is about. They provide a lot of assistance to the community and have been a rallying point that the usually divided residents of Memphis can support united as a city. While there continues to be a division between the people of Memphis, the Grizzlies organization has been very helpful in trying to establish a bond of unity.

The Media's Use of Subtle Racism

            The media’s attempts to discuss issues of race have become more and more subtle. Instead of using the negative terminology or offensive words of the past, the media now relies on coded words in order to discuss race without arousing anger from the public. A prime example of this was the controversy surrounding Richard Sherman. The media used words such as “thug” and “gangster” to talk about him as a black man rather than directly referring to his race. This is a problem in the media that needs to be addressed. While this is a method of tiptoeing around the race issue, it still refers to it in a negative way. By using these words to discuss race, it provides a discriminatory view on the race as a whole.

            I was watching First Take on ESPN the other day and one of the guests pointed something out that caused me to really think about how black athletes are portrayed in the media. Discussing the issue of fighting in sports, he talked about how it was acceptable in a sport like hockey but that the players are criticized heavily in the more African-American dominated sports like football and basketball. He also discussed how players have to watch themselves when they are on camera so that they do not seem volatile or violent. The main point that really stood out to me was when he talked about getting compliments for being eloquent and intelligent. He stated that these were backhanded compliments because they imply that he is doing something special as opposed to African-Americans being seen as not being intelligent or eloquent.

            This raises concern that African-Americans are being discriminated by the media. The predominantly white sport of hockey allows physical confrontations while if a black player were to do the same in a sport like football or basketball, they would be labeled a thug or a gangster and his character would be questioned. This is unfair and has to stop. How big of an issue do you think the media’s reliance on code words for race is?

The Difference between Separation and Inequality...or Is There One?

A point that came up in my final essay that I'm still struggling with is the difference between racial separation and racial inequality, and if there even can be a fair difference. It came up in my paper because I referenced a statistic that showed the clear differences in conditions which African Americans and whites live in in the city of Memphis. The statistic pointed to how in every department essentially (education, housing, employment, etc.), blacks populated areas with worse conditions and lesser opportunities, ultimately showing the ongoing civil rights struggle happening in Memphis in 2014.

With that being said, I thought about the main differences that make Memphis an interesting place to study regarding civil rights issues today. It is no secret that a majority of the population in the city of Memphis is African American dominant, and the poorest neighborhoods and communities in the city are dominated by African Americans. Because of this layout of the city, pockets of Memphis are pretty clearly divided by race and socioeconomic status. Memphis then, is a clear instance of how separation between blacks and whites and inequality essentially mean the same thing.

While Memphis is an extreme example, there is still cities, however, where African American and white citizens are not as economically separate but still remain separate in the neighborhoods they live in and social circles they are involved with. Is this a choice? Or just a result of the disparities from history that carried over into the present and haven't been repaired yet? I think this is an interesting dynamic in American cities that I would like to explore more in the future.

Movies in Memphis

Hollywood is making its way outside of its traditional home in California.  Many movies are now being filmed in the South and along the East Coast. While Louisiana has been a popular home for many movies lately, Memphis and Tennessee as a whole are trying to sell themselves as another option for filming locations. As a movie buff, I’m incredibly excited by this prospect, but I’m also excited as a historian.                                                                          

We read about Lloyd T. Binford and the Memphis Board of Censors and the cultural control they had over Memphis during the first half of the twentieth century. Anything with too much violence, allusions to sex, actors with “immoral” personal lives, or allusions to the equality of the races was banned. Binford and the board were part of the larger Crump Machine that used political control and force to determine the direction of Memphis’ future. Even though he was getting older, Binford ended his career on the Board of Censors because he was aware of the changing times.  As we all know, movies have greatly evolved since the early twentieth century. What would have garnered a strict R-rating is now a loose PG-13 rating today. This is an indicator that what is deemed socially acceptable is expanding and I find it highly appropriate that Memphis be a home to this new movie business.

            The article focuses on the economic advantages that the film industry could bring to the area, but I also think that it would also bring its history full circle. We do know Hollywood struggles to be racially diverse and provide movies tell the stories of different types of people. However, Memphis and its history could help bridge this gap while Hollywood could serve as a platform to allow Memphis to demonstrate how far its come.  Memphis and Binford were known nationally for its notorious censorship even when other states were dissolving their censorship boards altogether. While some people may not be aware of that, others are.  There was another article a few years ago in the Memphis Flyer detailing the harsh censorship of Binford. By bringing large scale film productions to Memphis, it would demonstrate to the community and to the country that Memphis is no longer under the oppressive ruling of the Crump Machine. We may still struggle with other race issues, but we are working to improve them and move forward.  

http://wreg.com/2014/04/24/should-memphis-and-tennessee-become-the-hollywood-of-the-south/

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/banned-in-memphis/Content?oid=1144204

Rap Music and Memphis

As many of you have likely seen, Drake released a music video for his song “Worst Behavior” last year. In this video, he is in Memphis and is rapping in front of a Jack Pirtle’s Fried Chicken restaurant as well as on Beale Street. He also includes local Memphis rappers Juicy J and Project Pat. The music video and its portrayal of Memphis made me think about the conversations that we have had in class about the role of music in Memphis and how it has affected the city’s history. The question that comes to my mind is how the spread of rap music has shaped the portrayal of the city of Memphis. With the fame of groups such as Three 6 Mafia and films such as Hustle and Flow, Memphis has gained attention as a center for rap music.

            In the past, musical artists from Memphis were able to gain fame in the soul and blues genres. In the past few decades, Memphis has become a hotspot for rap music and artists. As rap music is a predominantly African-American dominated genre, it makes sense that a city like Memphis with a significant African-American population has become a prime location for the rap industry. I believe that the association that has arisen between the city and music is primarily a positive one. The city is gaining recognition and this can attract people to come to it. Like in the past, music is playing a large role in the way Memphis is seen to the rest of the nation. What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe that the rap industry is portraying Memphis in a positive light or do you think otherwise?

Memphis Red Sox v. Memphis Chicks

             This past weekend I attended a series of Memphis Redbirds baseball games downtown with my fiancée.  After the conclusion of the game she naturally felt the need to browse the Redbirds’ pro shop. I agreed to accompany her because I wanted to see if the Redbirds sold and Memphis Red Sox merchandise.

            The Red Sox were a Negro League baseball organization in Memphis for almost 40 years from 1924-1962. At the same time period Memphis was home to a white semi-professional baseball team known as the Memphis Chicks and operated from 1901-1960. 

            As I walked into the pro shop I noticed among the hundreds of Redbirds’ items, several racks of Memphis Chicks attire. As I continue to look I ultimately found one Memphis Red Sox t-shirt in the entire store. Not to take away form the Chicks and their historical importance but, the Memphis Red Sox and the Negro Leagues are far more significant. That is why I was so shocked that there were so many Chicks items and just this one lonely Red Sox shirt.

             With the exception of a couple of special presentations years ago the Redbirds seem to stay away from Red Sox history whenever possible. This should baffle me. In a city that is so centralized in civil rights culture and history one would think the Redbirds would take every opportunity to highlight the Red Sox. In fact this year the Kansas City Royals had a “Salute to the Negro Leagues” day. In this special game the Royals wore the uniforms of the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs while the visiting Orioles sported those of the Baltimore Black Sox.

            It is so easy to highlight the Negro Leagues and begin to educate young baseball fans of this important time in this game. Soon there will no longer be anyone who was alive to witness the Negro Leagues. If these teams are not celebrated and credited for their work it is possible that the memory of these great organizations will disappear completely.

Jackie Robinson Day Part II

         Mariano “Sandman” Rivera retired from baseball at the end of the 2013 Major League Baseball season. During Rivera’s 18-year career with the New York Yankees he wore number 42. When this number was retired across the league, Bud Selig informed the 13 players who currently wore the number that they were allowed to finish their careers with the number. Rivera was fresh off of his rookie year and he definitely felt the pressures imposed upon him. “It was a little pressure, because I know the legacy and the man that carried No. 42,” Said Rivera in a 2014 interview.  “But I said, ‘Well, I’m going to take it as a challenge, and give my best, so I can make Mr. Robinson proud.’ I took it seriously”. 

            Robinson’s impact has touched so many who play the game. Rivera would not have faced the same struggle that Robinson did in the last forties.  In fact Rivera would have joined the minority of Hispanic players already in the league with little resistance. It is because of this that some say players, like Rivera and other non-African American baseball players, do not owe as much to Robinson. It is remarkable that there are those who still do not fully recognize the contribution Jackie Robinson made to the sport of baseball and the country. The integration of Major League baseball allowed not only black men to play alongside white, but it also began a movement within baseball to accept more races in the game. This movement created an atmosphere within the game of equality and fair play that could not have existed without Robinson.  

Jackie Robinson Day Part I

        Tuesday April 15, 2014 across Major League Baseball is known as Jackie Robinson Day. A day dedicated to honoring one of America’s greatest heroes and his contributions not only to the game but also to his country. This day has been celebrated every season since its inauguration in 2004 and for the past six years on April 15 every Major League player and on field personnel will wear Robinson’s number, 42. In 1997 MLB commissioner Bud Selig announced that number 42 would be retired in every ballpark.

            Ken Griffey Jr., an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds at the time, called Bud Selig in 2007 and requested that he be allowed to wear Robinson’s number 42 to honor the 60^th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier. Selig embraced the idea and invited all ballclubs to allow all players to wear number 42 on the 15^th.  Griffey Jr., felt that this was a way he could pay tribute the Robinson and he was not alone. 

            There is something special that happens for this one day in April. It is one of the only times in the entire season that every team is unified to celebrate one of the most influential Americans of all time. This is an unprecedented event in not only baseball but also all professional sports. Many players today take for granted the struggle that Robinson, and the men who followed him, underwent just to play baseball.