No Cheering Allowed
Copyright Jack Mixner. 714 449 1040. www.mixnerstrategy.com
Race is a tough topic. Racism may be tougher.
Jimmy Carter tells about the time the folks in his neighborhood in Plains, Georgia shared the Carter family radio (it was 1938 and not many people in poor Plains had radios) to listen to the Joe Louis Max/Schmeling heavyweight boxing championship fight. Schmeling had plenty of support among local whites, even during the run-up to World War II. The black locals listened to the radio, holding their cheers for their favorite, Joe Louis. After the fight, they walked away silently to go home and celebrate - and party 'til dawn - Louis' victory behind their closed doors.
Fussman (168) addresses racism in America after Jackie Robinson in clear, uncomfortable, terms.
Makes you wonder what you could do, today, to help things along.
Reference
Fussman, Cal. After Jackie. Pride, Prejudice, and Baseball's Forgotten Heroes: An Oral History. ESPN Books. 2007.