tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post1394421431991651104..comments2023-04-26T03:31:06.591-04:00Comments on ThinkAboutWriting: Keep 'em In Their PlaceMary Battenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15443381203090280044noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post-65863463703042027452018-07-03T06:32:07.408-04:002018-07-03T06:32:07.408-04:00From Joy Dahl
Yes, clear and thoughtful, passionat...From Joy Dahl<br />Yes, clear and thoughtful, passionate brilliance - and truth. I am a football fan, and agree this is about far more than football, yet sports is a perfect avenue for powerful protest.<br /><br /> Remember the 1968 Olympics where 2 Black athletes on the medals podium put up their fists in protest. A white Australian on the podium with them wore a human rights badge in silent support. There is a lot more to this story (Google) and this remains a powerful image in Australia. And that Australian was never allowed to represent Australia in any future Olympics - although he qualified. So entrenched is this terrible racism that whites who support justice for Blacks are punished by the authorities desperate to keep their 'power over.' And in Australia our own first peoples Indigenous Blacks are treated so horrifically that the United Nations has repeatedly protested. Still, change is way too slow here but the fight for human rights goes on. The stories of suppressed peoples world wide are shared here on National Indigenous TV & in the main-stream news.<br /><br />I grew up in Chicago in the '40's - 50's. As Jews, we were not allowed to live in certain neighbourhoods or join some sports or social clubs. But far worse than that - our beach on the South Side had an 8 foot high cyclone fence cutting down through the sand & out into the water separating the Blacks and Whites. As kids we couldn't understand it. When our father had a heart attack & mother had to go to work we were cared for by beautiful Black women who lived with us and introduced us to the courage, spirit & culture we have loved ever since.<br /><br />My brother, a young musician mentored by Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters was regularly beaten up by Chicago cops as he emerged from Johnny Pepper's Lounge after performing with them there.<br /><br />And the beating up goes on. Gotta keep kneeling, standing up and protesting in every possible way. Thank you for the inspiration Mary.eyesandearshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136792802531405918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post-52181922420873077242018-06-05T14:38:56.624-04:002018-06-05T14:38:56.624-04:00Thank you for telling the truth about what is real...Thank you for telling the truth about what is really behind the NFL's latest attack on the players. I have never been a football fan but as a previous reader said, tbis is not about football. The players were not protesting the flag or the national anthem;they were protesting centuries of injustice and the horrific residue that it has left on our country.<br />I grew up in New Orleans which was a racially segregated city until the Civil Rights movement of the 60s stirred winds of change,but change did not happen overnight. The racist concept of keeping black people in their place is an integral part of the NFL's new policy, and I totally support the players who decide to kneel when the national anthem is played. They have the right to speak truth to power.<br />Thank you again for another excellent piece and expressing it with clarity and brilliance!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16202366383301370706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post-25844236339132547162018-06-04T09:06:18.294-04:002018-06-04T09:06:18.294-04:00I was the only white member of the Ernie Fields ba...I was the only white member of the Ernie Fields band in 1960 and outside of that time I have never once experienced what my colleagues went through all day every day: constant reminders of their second-class citizenship. Thanks for your article.David Sherrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09313737774165169217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post-63358510905810112832018-06-04T00:40:08.524-04:002018-06-04T00:40:08.524-04:00Mary, Nor am I a fan of football, but then, as yo...Mary, Nor am I a fan of football, but then, as you say, kneeling is not about football. Neither was Rosa Park's seat on the bus about her physical comfort or the young men burning their draft cards while girls burned their bras about roasting marshmallows. People see and interpret what their personal histories allow them to understand. Your parents were loving and generous to you and your siblings in ways that most southern people could not understand at the time. How lucky you were and how fortunate today we are to have your wise words for reflection. They would be proud of your accomplishments. 4alarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07099718526098661311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post-56564628523077557612018-06-03T23:35:58.790-04:002018-06-03T23:35:58.790-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09186056419328980995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2122070406795922576.post-64468519542042478802018-06-03T23:35:41.083-04:002018-06-03T23:35:41.083-04:00Thank you for this very powerful piece. Thank you ...Thank you for this very powerful piece. Thank you for speaking the truth in a such a clear and thoughtful manner.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09186056419328980995noreply@blogger.com