Commentary

COMMENTARY: Super Bowl or not, in Black community

NASHVILLE PRIDE —

Published

6 years ago

January 27, 2019

By William T. Robinson, Jr.

While the Super Bowl has been a celebrated and welcomed event for football fans and the American public as a whole, it has become a contentious target for many in the African American community. The ostracizing of Colin Kaepernick, a former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for kneeling during the singing of the National Anthem to show his disdain for police brutality and social injustices imposed on African Americans and people of color has riled his supporters and those who can identify with his freedom to express himself peacefully.

Unfortunately, there are those who have relegated his actions as being disrespectful to the flag and those who have served our country or may be serving our country. The main critic leading this charge is President Trump, possibly to incite his base in generating racial strife.

How dare African American athletes or celebrities use their national platform to highlight the indignities facing some people in this country? This is the sentiment of some who feel athletes or entertainers should not deviate from entertaining the public. Although many know that entertainment is often used as a smokescreen to shield the public from the harsh realities inundating our lives.

Now make no mistake, you have devoted diehard African Americans who are not entertaining any boycott to keep them from watching or participating in their chosen addiction to football and you must respect their right to make their individual choice.

But it is hard for many conscientious brothers and sisters from judging the sincerity of those unwilling to sacrifice for the good of the whole, seeing this boycott as an opportunity to show a sign of our solidarity and unity in bringing attention and promoting positive changes that will uplift and bring about equality for all people, especially people of color. It is only when we make it known to the NFL and their sponsors that we are going to boycott their games and products will noticeably change take place because there are those betting that African Americans are incapable of uniting as one and showing solidarity. The solidarity that would promote needed change for everyone suffering from social injustices.

You find many African Americans, especially men, who selfishly rationalize and find excuses, challenging the effectiveness of boycotting the Super Bowl as well as other NFL (National Football League) games.

That is reminiscent of the many Africans Americans who didn’t support Martin Luther King, Jr. by claiming he was a radical, maverick, and troublemaker who was flaming or initiating the wrath of White people, feeling that would wreak harm and death upon African Americans, especially our youth. Ironically, these were some of the same African Americans first to stand in line for the many opportunities and rights gained by the Civil Rights Movement. It is unfortunate that we have some African Americans who may have been blessed not to feel the full sting of discrimination, abuse, and inequality, making them indifferent or apathetic to the pain and suffering of their less fortunate brothers and sisters.

Serious supporters of the NFL or Super Bowl boycott are upset with one of our most revered icons and civil rights advocates, singer Gladys Knight, for choosing to sing the national anthem during the Super Bowl. This is made more surprising when you have superstars like Cardi B, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Amy Schumer who are refusing to have anything to do with the Super Bowl until Colin Kaepernick is exonerated and picked up as a quarterback.

Many see Gladys Knight’s participation in the Super Bowl as insensitive and comparable to treason to African Americans seeking solidarity. But Gladys has stated that she feels it is unfortunate that the national anthem has been dragged into a debate against fighting for justice. She sees each as separate issues. She has expressed that she feels by singing the national anthem, she hopes she can bring people closer together and give the anthem back its voice.

If nothing more, this dilemma has sparked conversation and discussion about selfishness versus unity among the Black community. When all is said and done, we cannot let the biggest weapon (divide and conquer) keep us from moving forward as a people. If we do, we have let those seeking to oppress us continue to win.

This article originally appeared in the Nashville Pride.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

COMMENTARY: Sen. Lamar Alexander on Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday

Don't Miss

Naomi Osaka has arrived, wins Australian Open and No. 1 world ranking

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

Published

1 day ago

May 16, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

The Best Advice for Raising Children: Discipline That Makes Sense

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Published

4 days ago

May 13, 2025

Oakland Post

Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.

By William A. Thomas, Ph.D.

In many African societies, the primary aim of socialization is to raise children to be socially responsible and eventually provide economic support to their parents and extended families. Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Gyekye taught that children are raised to be respectful of the wishes of their parents and extended adult family members.

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Effective disciplinary strategies appropriate to a child’s age and development teach them to regulate their behavior; keep them from harm; enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional executive functioning skills; and reinforce the behavioral patterns taught by their parents and caregivers.

Below are some specific guidelines for disciplining children.

Listen to what children are talking about with interest and show them you understand their feelings. Remember, children mirror and learn about their emotional selves by hearing their feelings reflected back to them. Staying on target also means avoiding labels. When children fail to do what is expected, discussing it is helpful rather than saying how stubborn, lazy, dumb, or bad they are. By the same token, more positive labels can be helpful.

Dependability is another essential component of the discipline process. When parents are dependable, their children learn what to expect and are helped to feel secure. When parents are consistent, children learn to trust, that is, predict their parents’ behaviors with certainty. A child thinks, “When I spill something, I will always be asked to wipe it up.” A child thinks, “If I use foul language, I will always be corrected.” A child thinks, “If I take something that doesn’t belong to me, I will always have to give it back.” The ability to predict with certainty leads children to rely on their parents and the village/community in which they live. Children feel safe when they know what to expect.

Conclusions

It takes a village/community to raise the divine gift that is the Black child. Parents look to therapists for guidance concerning a variety of parenting issues, including discipline. Keep in mind that evidence suggests that corporal punishment is both ineffective in the long term and associated with cognitive and mental health disorders. When parents want guidance about the use of spanking, a child therapist can explore parental feelings, help them better define the goals of discipline, and offer specific behavior management strategies. In addition to providing appropriate education to families, the Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists (Bay ABPsi) can refer them to community resources, like parenting groups and classes.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Beaumont. He is a member of Bay ABPsi, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3^rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.