I don’t know Colin Kaepernick personally, but I know Colin Kaepernick.
I’ve experienced lots of emotions while watching media coverage of his national anthem protest. I’m frustrated by the uneven emphasis on his method versus his message.
Frankly, I’m tired that the reasons black people protest have existed for decades. I’m tired that a myriad of pleas for change have gone unheard. I’m even tired that those who have no problem with message don’t embrace it as their message, too.
And I’m anxious for change.
My father was in the Navy and a Detroit a police officer. Every coach I had in the three sports I played before high school (football, basketball and baseball) were police officers. I grew up in a middle-class community and had no issues with the police.
However, the reality in most black neighborhoods, even middle-class black neighborhoods, is that gang activity and violence are prevalent. It made me street smart but I was fortunate to get out. I knew gang members who protected me because I was an athlete and plenty of officers who knew me because of my father. Mr. Arnold, Mr. Gully and Coach Derek with the Northwest Detroit Cougars saw me as a leader and quarterback before I saw it in me. Officer Joe Tucker’s patience with me, as I came into my own as a basketball player, supported my growth as a point guard as he coached our Police Athletic League team to a national championship.
So I honor and respect law enforcement. I am forever grateful for the role they have played in my life, and those of my teammates and friends.
I shared all of that in hopes that anyone who reads this will support the solutions I propose to the complex systemic issues that truly affect us all.
The two issues Colin appears to emphasize are the use of excessive force against black people by police, and what I will call systemic racism. They are related, and I’ll attempt to provide a brief history, summarizing how we arrived at this time in our nation’s history.
I’ll start with the systemic racism because that sets the context, in part, for the excessive force. Over eighty years ago, in response to the Great Depression, the US Government initiated several social programs to prevent another depression, create jobs, promote labor unions, provide social security and public housing, and establish the G.I. Bill for World War II veterans transitioning back to civilian life.
The G.I. Bill provided low-cost loans for housing and tuition grants for education. It played a major role in creating “white” middle class communities that still exist today. Unfortunately, black veterans received significantly less help from the G.I. Bill than their white counterparts. Couple this will the introduction of public housing projects and housing discrimination and you have the start of “vertical ghettos” where most upwardly mobile black families were unable to move into better neighborhoods because of unfair loan practices and far more were stuck in poverty.
Why were they were stuck in poverty? Blacks in the labor force were employed in jobs excluded from the minimum wage, Social Security, unemployment insurance and workmen's compensation. Though labor unions progressed during this period, blacks were not able to benefit. Jim Crow superseded the new social programs that benefited whites.
The signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 contributed to the increased number of blacks who graduated college, created more African-American wealth and helped blacks gain access to the political class. However, millions of blacks remain in impoverished communities based on historic and sustained systemic racism, which prevented many black families from building wealth through homeownership. They remained in unskilled jobs due to little access to job training programs, education benefits and employment discrimination. This created a culture of poverty that lead to violence, crime and mistrust of the government, which clearly did not treat blacks equally--even if they had fought for their country.
And while harsh policing practices can be traced back to slavery, we can clearly see how a government that acquiesced to Jim Crow when creating new laws and social programs, also put its police in the impossible situation of trying to keep a lid on neighborhoods setup to fail. When we send police into high-crime communities, there is a heightened sense of fear, both among the police and those they are sworn to serve. While this isn’t an excuse or justification for excessive force, it helps explain why this happens.
The recent shootings of Laquan McDonald, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Charles Kinsey and Paul O’Neal seemed avoidable. However, the implicit bias we believe the police have won’t be cured until we address the systemic racism/classism that creates segregation and doesn't allow for diverse people to live amongst each other to build comfort and trust.
We have known for decades that segregated impoverished communities are breeding grounds for poor education, crime and violence, yet we have politicians and their surrogates arguing that stronger policing is the answer. Here’s a news flash, POLICING ALONE IS NOT THE ANSWER TO SECURING POOR NEIGHBORHOODS.
Athletes As Messengers
There’s a reason black athletes are often a valuable voice speaking on injustice in America. We’ve long known that sport brings people together from different backgrounds for a common cause. It helps us learn about people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Athletes also experience the closest system in the world to a true meritocracy. With few exceptions, the best players make teams and play, the best teams win and everybody sees everything because all practices and games are documented, studied over and over again and covered extensively by the media. It creates a unique transparency few other systems practice. That, along with the platform that major professional sports provides, makes black athletes a valuable voice to draw attention to ills in our society.
Still, they are rarely perfect messengers because they spend the vast majority of their time perfecting their craft, not brainstorming solutions to our most complex problems. That doesn’t mean their protest is less valuable. I recently heard Ben Ferguson, a conservative talk show host, say to Don Lemon on CNN that he considers Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos’ protest cheap because he hasn’t protested before. So you have to protest before you protest? It’s that unfortunate hypocrisy of those who say they love our country yet judge fellow citizens speaking out on injustices felt by fellow Americans. Can you love the country and not fight for liberty and justice for ALL?
I also hear quite of few commentators asking for solutions. Again, let’s not expect our athletes to be equipped with answers to social problems that have existed since our nation’s birth. But if you’re truly open to hearing solutions, how about a commitment to remain in this conversation until we have 10 solutions to some very complex problems?
I will start with 5 ideas that are being pushed in various circles:
1. Though redistricting laws vary by state, county and municipality, we need to ensure a fair process free from manipulation and gerrymandering by self-serving legislators. Many politicians pick their voters versus politicians having to fight for votes from citizens in districts they didn’t create. There needs to be more competition for votes and a break up of single party rule in many local governments.
2. Revitalize the neighborhood public schools, so that:
a. All students have access to an inspiring educational experience in a neighborhood school with the active support of the wider community.
b. All neighborhoods are grounded by schools that not only serve students, but also engage the community;
c. All students graduate and are well-prepared to become engaged, educated and capable adults—contributing to the vitality of our communities and city;
d. Create incentives for establishing integrated schools with both racial and socio-economic diversity. (Many of our schools are just as segregated as they were when Brown vs. the Board of Education was passed in 1954.).
e. The above doesn’t conflict with those who promote “school choice”; it simply provides more viable choices that can be practically utilized without the logistical challenge created by sending students to neighborhoods far from their homes when transportation is a challenge.
3. Enlist police officers to teach the true history of policing in this country in schools. This would allow police the chance to acknowledge their triumphs, failures, challenges and proposed solutions for better engagement with the communities it serves.
a. Create better community policing practices where police are able to engage with youth in sports like the Police Athletic Leagues have done in many cities for years.
b. Create a more robust training curriculum in police academies to better prepare rookie officers, along with more rigorous continuing education requirements for police to remain in good standing.
c. Put a renewed emphasis on police recruiting and vetting to attract better candidates. Policing is one of the most difficult and honorable professions in our country and our country will only greatly benefit if our most noble citizens pursue the profession.
d. Expand on the White House Police Data Initiative to determine individualized training needs based on their performance. The data could also be used to inform dispatch procedures to minimize the escalation of high-risk situations.
4. Invest in parent education programs. Few people disagree that many parents need more support in raising their children. It’s a mistake to ask our public institutions to do more and more of the work designed for parents. While there are some children in crisis who need government intervention, it has to be coupled with support for parents to elevate their role in their child’s life, which will reduce the burden on public institutions, which aren’t built to address granular needs but needs of the masses. Parents, extended family members, friends and communities are better positioned to intervene on individual nuanced challenges. That part of the village it takes to raise our children has to be re-emphasized and called to duty.
5. Reimagine philanthropy. While foundations should focus on new and innovative solutions to the world’s most complex problems, there should also be greater support for existing solutions that work. In addition, there should be greater focus on our most pressing problems of poverty, public safety, education and achieving liberty and justice for all citizens.
There are no silver bullets to today’s problems but I have spent my entire non-athletic career, serving citizens with educational attainment, professional development, psychological services and public safety. I have had success creating sustainable solutions to problems and am raising my hand to be a part of the solution.
I would never put all the blame on government, though it must be part of the solution. One of the best things about this country is that unless you're being oppressed directly or indirectly, you can succeed despite those challenges and often without government intervention. Most of the black people I know are talented, educated, take personal responsibility, are entrepreneurial and work in various fields. Part of their success is due to talent, good families, and the ability or fortune to overcome some of the challenges our less fortunate brothers and sisters cannot endure. For example, I went to a school similar to a predominantly white high school 30 minutes from my home in Detroit. The only black boys in the school were there to play sports. My sophomore year and first season on the team, I won the starting QB role. Before the season started the school leadership expressed displeasure with me being the QB. I was obviously hurt and blindsided. After some back and forth with my coach, merit took precedence and I was able to earn a football scholarship to Stanford University. There are many who may have had more talent but got the short end of the stick when faced with a similar circumstance. As a Christian I put my faith in God but I absolutely live every day aware that I can't operate with the same comfort and entitlement as others. I accept my condition and trust that if I pursue God’s will for my life nothing can stop me.
I'm committed to making this country better not only for my family, but also for the talented brothers and sisters who can rise when they are judged by the content of their character and talent, and not the color of their skin.
If Colin Kapernick inspires us all to pursue this goal, then our nation will be better for us all.
I look forward to your thoughts and to continuing this conversation.