There’s plenty to cry about, but kneeling UK players make me smile

When I was a boy in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I knew very few Black people in Lexington who were fans of University of Kentucky Athletics. To some degree that sentiment was a function of Adolph Rupp’s reputation for being racist. There was also the perception that head football coach Charlie Bradshaw and his staff created an atmosphere that caused Greg Page, one of UK’s first Black football players, to ultimately die of injuries sustained on the practice field in 1967.

Still, in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I vividly remember my grandmother routinely saying she was not a fan of the school’s athletic program, but she always rooted “for our young men to do well” – speaking proudly of Black players such as Jack Givens and Derrick Ramsey, who led UK to tremendous success on the basketball court and football field, respectively. She, like so many older Black people in Lexington at the time, saw UK’s Black athletes as people with opinions, feelings and aspirations, while many white fans may have looked at them as little more than domesticated animals used to shoot, dunk, run, pass, block and tackle the Wildcats to victory.

Sadly, we are reminded in recent days that some white citizens of the Big Blue Nation, apparently still view Black athletes more like property than people. In response to the basketball players’ decision to kneel during the national anthem at Florida last week, Laurel County’s sheriff and jailer burned their UK apparel, as the sheriff stated that head coach John Calipari needed to “get (the players) under control.”

Meanwhile, Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers shed tears during a Monday statement expressing his hurt, due to the method the players used to protest the racial injustice they personally experience and witness on an ongoing basis. Stivers cited his status as a parent of an active military member, and his family’s history of military service, as the basis for his distress as a UK fan. Though the service of his family members is greatly appreciated, Stivers’ impression that said service justifies his unwillingness, as a white man, to accept the players’ peaceful response to racial injustice is inexcusable.

Unfortunately, Black people are accustomed to white indifference to our plight in America. We are also accustomed to their distaste for our attempts to address the systemic challenges that are uniquely ours to face. Yet, given last Wednesday’s attack by American terrorists on our U.S. Capitol, the cause of Senator Stivers’ tears is both telling and troubling.

Since his words were flavored with patriotism, the attempt to incite violence to prevent Congress from certifying the Presidential election should have made Senator Stivers cry. Additionally, it’s hard to fathom why urination on the Capitol building and the spread of feces on its walls during that domestic rebellion did not make Senator Stivers cry. Furthermore, given the penchant of Republicans for declaring that Blue Lives Matter at times of unrest, it’s hard to understand why seeing a police officer dragged by a mob and beaten with with a pole attached to an American flag did not make Senator Stivers cry. Interestingly, during his Monday statement, even the five lives lost as a result of last Wednesday’s assault on American democracy did not make Senator Stivers cry. And undoubtedly he saw the hate on display in the form of signs recently placed around our State Capitol lawn, that say “Impeach Andy” on one side, and “Make Hanging Traitors Great Again” on the other. Those signs were most likely left there by Kentuckians who presumably agree with last week’s attack on our government and elections. Certainly those signs should have made Senator Stivers cry.

Nonetheless, what brings Senator Stivers to tears, and what doesn’t, merely illustrates that skin color clearly matters more than actions for many, as they decipher what constitutes egregious behavior during these turbulent times.

The University of Kentucky basketball team is struggling at present on the hardwood. But regardless of the outcome of this season, one of the keys to making them winners in life will be their continued willingness to stand (or kneel) for what is right, even when criticism is sure to follow. So, I say to all the players “keep fighting the good fight” because, like my late grandmother, I want to see our young men do well.

Rev. L. Clark Williams is the President and Chairman of The People’s Campaign. He can be reached via email at clark@campaignforpeople.com.

This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 12:29 PM.