Black History

Wisconsin Black Caucus Takes Back Vote on AJR8

MILWAUKEE COURIER — The Wisconsin Black Caucus is standing its ground.

Published

6 years ago

February 18, 2019

By Nyesha Stone

The Wisconsin Black Caucus is standing its ground and taking away its vote of support concerning the Republican’s decision to not honor Milwaukee native Colin Kaepernick. This decision was made as a part of its resolution to honor the state’s influential Black Americans during Black History Month.

Originally, the Caucus’ proposed resolution, Assembly Joint Resolution 8, listed Kaepernick’s name. The Caucus included his name to honor him through its resolution, which aimed to recognize this year’s Black History Month in Wisconsin.

However, the Majority Leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly Jim Steinke said the Assembly wouldn’t consider the resolution unless Kaepernick’s name was removed, according to State Representative Lakesha Myers.

Myers was the first one to change her vote on AJR8 because she refused to let others control who the Black community gets to honor. The Caucus followed Myers lead and changed its votes as well, but the Republicans still passed it through.

“I have the ability to change my vote,” Myers said and did. “We did that to show we are not in agreement.”

Myers questioned why the assembly had concerns on what Black person to honor, but didn’t concern themselves with other groups’ resolutions.

For centuries, white people have been erasing Black people out of history, and this is a small version of that.

Kaepernick has been conversational since he took a knee, but what America refuses to accept is that it is the reason why. Institutionalized segregation has made way for police brutality and continued disparity rates in education, housing and more.

When Kapernick took a knee, he did so for the people facing injustices in this country, specifically the Black and Brown communities. He’s standing for something bigger than him, and to honor him in the city, where the media portrays our Black and Brown as criminals, only seems logical. By honoring him and bringing more awareness to his legacy, will give our young Black and Brown youth hope.

Wisconsin’s Black Caucus is showing the state what it means to stand your ground even when things don’t your way. They are sending the message that we exist and we’re not stopping until we receive the things we deserve.

More than anything, the Caucus’ and Kapernick’s actions demonstrate that anyone – be they a politician, celebrity or even a Milwaukee resident – can take a stand. Doing what’s right doesn’t always mean taking the easiest path, but it is the one that worthwhile.

This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Courier.

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Black History

From Louisville to the Olympics: The Legacy of William DeHart Hubbard

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history. Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Published

4 days ago

October 1, 2024

Oakland Post

William DeHart Hubbard made history in 1924 when Hubbard made Olympic history by winning the Gold Medal in the long jump. Public Domain.

By Tamara Shiloh

William DeHart Hubbard, born on November 25, 1903, in Cincinnati, Ohio, was a trailblazing figure in American sports history.

Hubbard grew up in Cincinnati. While attending Walnut Hills High School he excelled in academics and athletics. This earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1921, where he studied in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. In college, he quickly made a name for himself as an exceptional track and field athlete.

Hubbard was the only African American on the school’s track team; he was also the first African American varsity track letterman at the university. In his college career, Hubbard won several meets including being a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, eight-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) champion, and seven-time Big Ten Conference champion in track and field. His 1925 outdoor long jump of 25 feet 10¹⁄₂ inches stood as the Michigan Wolverines team record until 1980, and it is still second. His 1925 jump of 25 feet 3.5 inches stood as a Big Ten Championships record until Jesse Owens broke it in 1935 with what is now the current record of 26 feet 8.25 inches.

In 1924, he was selected to represent the United States at the Paris Summer Olympics.

Competing against some of the best athletes in the world, Hubbard made history by winning the gold medal in the long jump by jumping 24 feet 5.5 inches. This victory made him the first African American to win an individual gold medal in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

In 1925, Hubbard broke the long jump world record with a leap of 25 feet 10⁷⁄₈ inches at the NCAA championships. In 1927, he bettered that with a jump of 26 feet 2.25 inches — which would have been the first ever over 26 feet — but meet officials disallowed it, claiming that the take-off board was an inch higher than the surface of the landing pit. He also competed in the hurdles at the 1926 AAU championships. He graduated with honors in 1927.

He specialized in the long jump, a sport that would soon bring him international fame.

Hubbard’s Olympic success was not just a personal triumph but a milestone for African Americans in sports. His victory challenged the prevailing stereotypes of the time and inspired a generation of Black athletes to pursue their dreams in the face of adversity.

After his Olympic success, he continued to excel in track and field. He set an additional world record in 1925 with a jump of 25 feet 10.75 inches, which stood for several years. His accomplishments were not limited to athletics, as he also became involved in civic and business endeavors after his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1927.

Following his athletic career, Hubbard returned to his hometown of Cincinnati, where he took on various roles serving his community and the progress of African Americans. He worked as a manager for the Department of Colored Work for the Cincinnati Public Recreation Commission and later became a race relations adviser for the Federal Housing Administration.

Hubbard passed away on June 23, 1976. As the first African American to win an individual Gold Medal in the Olympics, he not only paved the way for future generations of athletes but also demonstrated the profound impact that sports can have on societal change.