By Stephen Pierce
O LeBron and Kevin you are great
players but no one voted for you. Millions
elected Trump to be their coach so keep the political commentary to yourself…Shut Up and Dribble. When we think we have come so far comments
like these bring back the harsh reality that no matter the money we make, the
accolades we achieve, or the positions we hold, we are still open to being
disrespected and treated as second rate citizens by some Americans.
The statement was made by Fox News
anchor Laura Ingraham. Laura Ingraham has made controversial remarks before such as her
defense of Trump’s Mexican comments saying that Mexicans coming to America
bring drugs, crime, and are rapists. But what she has said toward LeBron and
Kevin hit home a little more.
LeBron and Kevin are not just
black men who make millions doing what they love, a fact she acknowledged by
Ingraham in her rant. They are also
humanitarians that give millions to the black community. LeBron’s charitable
organization, LeBron James Family Foundation, gives one million dollars every
year to kids in his home town of Akron, Ohio. The gift helps elementary
schoolers get interested in school; provides adults with college resources; and
help students learn computer coding. His
I Promise campaign has donated 41
million dollars making a college education possible for 1,100 Akron students.
Kevin Durant started the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation which focuses on the
enrichment of low-income at-risk youths through educational, athletic, and
social programs.
These two gentlemen have done so
much for the community and for the people around them, but in the eyes of some
have not earned the right to express how they feel about the Commander and Chief
who has yet to make a positive impact on Americans, or citizens of the world. Ingraham’s comments reflect her arrogant
thinking and elitist heart. Black
athletes exist solely for entertainment value and are somehow not full citizens
with the ability to comment or participate in government or politics. But at the same time would she have made
these same disparaging comments about President Ronald Regan who was an actor
and a sports commentator, or towards John Runyan who was the right tackle for
the Philadelphia Eagles from 2000-2008 before becoming a United States
Congressman, probably not.
Laura Ingraham’s controversial
comments has caused a conversation to happen in the African American community about
how some Americans feel about our achievements. We must continue to know that
no matter what we do, how much money we make, how much power we gain, or how
much we contribute we are still not viewed as equals to some, or in this case
credible to make comments about the people in power. In the words of the
greatest Hip Hop artist of all time and great business man and the new leader
in the Forbes list of wealthiest men in Hip-Hop Jay-Z “Light nigga, dark nigga,
faux nigga, real nigga rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga, still
nigga, still nigga”. But are you going to
shut up, and dribble, or what?
