King still has lessons for NFL, society
Matt Banks is an assistant basketball coach at Miami Middletown University and works with kids on the autism spectrum for Warren County Educational Service Center.
Many view Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a man who stood up for African-Americans. Though he was instrumental in the civil rights movement for the black community, he stood for equality and peace for our entire nation.
Civil rights are defined as the rights that every person should have regardless of his or her sex, race or religion.
Our society is still doused with ignorance and inequality, and a number of lines from King’s famous “I Have A Dream” speech remain relevant today.
• “We cannot turn back.”
Percy Harvin, former wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks, allegedly caused a locker room mutiny against quarterback Russell Wilson before he was traded. Several reports said that some players believed Wilson “wasn’t black enough.”
Setting this kind of example for young blacks is unacceptable. To me, that is “turning back.” Black people can’t fall victim to criticizing each other for differences in skin tone or how they speak. They’ve accomplished so much by banding together, not by holding each other back.
My wife Sylvia, an African-American, has been profiled similarly to Wilson. She once had a phone interview in which somebody looked at her master’s education, listened to her voice, and assumed she was white. She didn’t fit some of the “black” stereotypes the interviewer was used to, so he assumed.
I pray for a day when our children won’t be classified as not white enough or black enough to be accepted. They shouldn’t have to be a “thug” to be black or a “hillbilly” to be white.
Dr. King earned a doctorate in theology from Boston University. Did that make him less black because he was educated and articulate? We should be able to strive for whatever we want without ridicule.
• “When will you be satisfied?”
This makes me think about the current civil rights battle in society regarding sexual orientation.
Michael Sam’s story was one of the biggest in sports. It was blasphemy for some to think that any football player was gay. In the land where “real men” do battle each Sunday, a weak, gay man would surely crumble, right? He disproved that myth by being drafted by the St. Louis Rams.
Sam should be free to be who he is. Just because he kissed a man on TV, and you and your children were “forced” to watch doesn’t mean you will be scarred for life. It’s the same love that everyone strives for. It’s just in a different form. People can’t stay sheltered forever.
Personally, I will be satisfied when people aren’t viewed as gay or straight. Marriage should be in one form and not separated by gender. The word gay won’t define them. These people aren’t broken or sickly. They’re human and don’t deserve persecution.
• “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.”
Tim Tebow doesn’t care what’s popular. Some believe he’s an awful person because he acknowledges Jesus Christ as his savior. He’s the same guy who makes mission trips to the Philippines to educate. He might even be the guy who shows up out of the blue and visits your sick child in the hospital and provides faith when you have nowhere else to turn.
Sound like a bad guy?
King has changed my thought process. I’ve learned that tolerance is a dirty word. We shouldn’t tolerate others. That makes them sound like a burden. Accept and embrace all people whether they are gay, black, white, poor or wealthy. Open your heart and mind to the idea of tolerating less, and accepting more.