Black History

Don’t Erase the Black Players Who Built the W

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER — The oft-popular notion, or falsehood, that Clark is some Superwoman who swooped in to save the W, and Black females somehow are her Kryptonite. Too many believe that: 1) Black players are jealous of the White player, and 2) Clark is a de facto victim.

Published

2 months ago

July 15, 2026

Post News Group

Don’t Erase the Black Players Who Built the W

The WNBA couldn’t and wouldn’t have survived for 30 years if it wasn’t for Black players, and third-year Indiana guard Caitlin Clark isn’t the league’s savior. Like the old axiom, these two points can be true.

The first truth is indisputable: ever since the ceremonial jump ball before Game No. 1 between Los Angeles and New York in 1997, the likes of Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson, Tamika Catchings, Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Candace Parker and many, many other Sistahs over the course of three decades have carried the W. But this truth too often has been overlooked or undervalued, especially since the arrival of Clark two summers ago.

Coppin State Sport Management Associate Professor F. Michelle Richardson has followed America’s longest-running women’s pro league since day one.

“I was at the first WNBA game, I was a Nike intern in 1997 with the Los Angeles Sparks,” she proudly said in an MSR phone interview last week. Later, “I was the first Nike intern for the Washington Mystics in their first season (1998).” Dr. Richardson is both a longtime fan and studies race and sport. She co-authored book chapters on Black women’s sports experiences at HBCUs, Black female hockey fans and their experiences, and Black females’ experiences beyond sport.

Expectedly, the latest controversy involving Clark and Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas hasn’t escaped Richardson either.

“I don’t think people hate Caitlin Clark,” continued the professor. “We have the bad actors who are trying to use her for an agenda.”

The oft-popular notion, or falsehood, that Clark is some Superwoman who swooped in to save the W, and Black females somehow are her Kryptonite. Too many believe that: 1) Black players are jealous of the White player, and 2) Clark is a de facto victim. None of which is true.

Even GOP lawmakers in Washington have gotten into this: ESPN last week reported a group of Republican U.S. Congress members wrote and sent a letter to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, demanding that the league must protect the Fever star. So instead of passing bills on protecting voting rights or strengthening gun control, they are more concerned with whether or not Clark is fouled during games.

It’s the WNBA, not the ACC (always Caitlin Clark).

The pro game is physical, and up to this point Clark hasn’t yet adjusted to it, Richardson pointed out.

“I was watching that game (on June 24 between Indiana and Phoenix),” she said of the contest in which Phoenix’s Thomas got tangled up with Clark. League officials reviewed the play, calling a flagrant foul and suspending Thomas for one game. “Alyssa Thomas is a very physical player. I won’t say (Thomas) did it purposely, but I have seen (Clark) flinging her body, trying to sell a foul. She’s arguing with her coaches … and you’re trying to tell the refs how to do their job when you haven’t improved at your game.”

Richardson agrees that the WNBA took too long to effectively call out the so-called Clark fans who have shown their racist colors in spewing their hate on social media against Black W players. Thomas and her family have received death threats after the incident. Other Black players have said it is often uncomfortable to play at Indiana due to some fans’ racist behavior toward them.

“Cathy Engelbert has done a terrible job at taking care of this,” said Richardson.

Back to the first truth: this year’s All-Star Game in Chicago later this month will feature six Black starters, including Minnesota’s Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard, and eight Blacks among the reserves, including Lynx guard Courtney Williams. WNBA Legends Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon are serving as honorary general managers and will draft the two All-Star rosters.

“I love Olivia Miles,” declared Richardson of the All-Star rookie starter. However, she and other players’ performances thus far this season “once again (is) being overshadowed by this Caitlin Clark fallacy that she’s the best on the planet, she’s not,” reiterated the Coppin State professor. “And Caitlin is not the savior. They got to stop this narrative.”

Wolves wrap up Summer League play in Vegas

The Minnesota Timberwolves at press time have completed their scheduled four NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas (July 9, 11, 13, 15). If the Wolves don’t advance to the four-team playoffs, they will play a fifth game on either July 17, 18 or 19.

Devin McGlockton Credit: Charles Hallman/MSR

“I just want to prove myself,” 6-foot-7 forward Devin McGlockton told MSR after a practice before the team left for Vegas. He is one of nine rookies on the Wolves’ summer squad. “My greatest strength is just my effort. I give 100% to my rebounding. I’m relentless on the glass.”

Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.

Charles Hallman

Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. More by Charles Hallman

Based on reporting by Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Post News Group

Posts by Post News Group

Up Next

California’s Unhoused Seniors: a Crisis Within the State’s Homelessness Crisis

Don't Miss

‘Michael’s’ Billion-Dollar Success Meets a Stunning Family Reversal

Post News Group

Click to comment

Black History

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

23 minutes ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.

Post News Group

Posts by Post News Group

Black History

Arnold Perkins: At 85, a Life of Service, Faith and Giving Back

Perkins believes that health is not simply physical. It is emotional, mental, and spiritual. And for much of his life, he says, his faith and philosophy of service have kept him vibrant, happy and connected to the world around him.

Published

1 hour ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanya Dennis

The Post’s Healthy Aging Series addresses key components for healthy aging: mind, body and spirit. This article addresses the importance of having a strong spiritual or religious foundation.

As America’s population grows older, conversations about healthy aging often focus on diet, exercise and medical care. But for Dr. Arnold Xavier Cornelius Perkins, who will celebrate his 85th birthday next month, another ingredient has been equally important: a spiritual foundation and a lifelong commitment to serving others.

“I am my brothers’ and sisters’ keeper,” Perkins said. “I am a ‘we’ person,” and referenced the South African expression of ‘Ubuntu,’ which means ‘I am because we all are.”

Born in Miami, Florida, Perkins came to California in 1954 with his family to attend a Seventh-day Adventist General Conference. His family ultimately decided to remain in California, unwilling to return to the harsh racism of the segregated South.

He grew up in Berkeley, attending Golden Gate Academy, Willard School, and Berkeley High School before joining the Navy during the Vietnam War era. He later attended Merritt College when the Black Panther Party was emerging in Oakland, where he became involved as a volunteer for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He graduated from San Francisco State University and completed additional coursework at Cal State East Bay.

His professional career became a remarkable journey through public service. Perkins served as Alameda County’s homeless coordinator, became a program officer with the San Francisco Foundation, headed a drug and alcohol program, and ultimately served as director of the Alameda County Public Health Department for 12 years before retiring in 2006.

But retirement did not mean stepping away from service.

Perkins jokingly describes this stage of his life as being in “preferment,” doing what he pleases. What he pleases, however, is continuing to help people.

He has worked with young people, served on San Quentin Prison’s warden advisory council, previously served on the Oakland Police Department Selection Commission, and completed two terms as chair of the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission. He chaired the University of San Francisco’s Helen Diller Stanley Comprehensive Cancer Center for 10 years and is now in his 11th year serving on the California Wellness Foundation board.

Perkins even views a hereditary heart defect through the lens of his spiritual philosophy.

“I have a hole in my heart, so I’m not physically perfect,” he said. “But I look at it as I have a hole because I pour my heart out to people.”

That perspective may be one of his greatest lessons about healthy living. Perkins believes that kindness, compassion and community have a direct impact on a person’s emotional and spiritual well-being.

“If I see an unsheltered relative, I’d give them that $20,” he said. “My responsibility is to take care.”

For Perkins, giving does not deplete a person; it gives life back. “My life’s mission is to give,” he said. “And what I get back is life.”

He knows firsthand that one person can change another person’s destiny. As a young man, Perkins stuttered and often fought in response to the teasing and humiliation he experienced. A teacher, Jeff Tedisco, defended him and changed the direction of his life.

“If it hadn’t been for him,” Perkins said, “I would have been in San Quentin.”

Instead, Perkins now goes to Indaba Court, a restorative justice program, to help young people who have made wrong choices understand that they are part of a larger community.

“When they harm one person, they harm the community,” he said.

His prescription for a vibrant life is simple: be understanding, be kind and remember that life is not all about you.

“When we fold our arms, we can’t receive anything,” Perkins said. “But when we stretch out our arms and serve one another, we build community.”

At nearly 85, Arnold Perkins continues to prove that a life rooted in faith, service and love may be one of the most powerful foundations for healthy aging.

Next Week: Brenda Dennis Harris “The Body Temple.”