Filed under: News, Politics, President Obama, Race and Civil Rights
Jefferson Thomas was not just a great black athlete, he was a great black student, and being part of the
Little Rock Nine (the first group of students to desegregate public schools) Thomas saw himself risking death by being in the middle of heated racial controversy.
One of the most interesting experiences Thomas recollected is how many of his white friends could accept him as an athlete, but not as a fellow student:
"One of them said, 'Well I don't mind playing basketball or football with you or anything. You guys are good at sports. Everybody knows that, but you're just not smart enough to sit next to me in the classroom,'" Thomas said.
Thomas' long journey through life just ended at the age of 67 as he succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Thomas was president of the
Little Rock Nine Foundation, representing the students who enrolled at
Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957.
Their decision to enroll changed America forever.
The mere entrance of the students in to a predominantly white high school was enough for the governor of the state,
Orval Faubus, to send National Guard troops to block the students from entering. In response, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the Army in to override the National Guard.
The situation was contentious enough to nearly set off a civil war, similar to the
Emancipation Proclamation nearly 100 years earlier. It is also not unlike the significant resistance President
Barack Obama is receiving from many governors who are fighting his initiatives. When it comes to race, America always has been and continues to be quite divided.
Roughly 40 years later, the Little Rock Nine received Congressional Gold Medals for their bravery. The group included the late Mr. Thomas,
LaNier Melba,
Patillo Beals,
Minnijean Brown Trickey,
Elizabeth Eckford,
Ernest Green,
Gloria Ray Karlmark,
Terrence Roberts and
Thelma Mothershed Wair.
![Little Rock 9 member Jefferson Thomas dies in Ohio]()
In reference to President Obama's presidential victory, Thomas said that it was like a dream come true:
"This was really the nonviolent revolution," Thomas said. "We went and cast our ballots and the ballots were counted this time."
The courageous story of the Little Rock Nine is clearly one of the most significant events in our nation's history. It opened the door for black Americans to finally have access to some semblance of a quality education.
Unfortunately, years later, schools in black communities are decimated, crumbling bastions of educational mediocrity. They continue to breed racial division and oppression by refusing to provide necessary access to the basic essentials every child needs for a good education. The federal government should step in once again to correct this imbalance, since our work on racial integration is certainly far from complete.
Also, similar to Thomas being identified by his classmates as an unintelligent black athlete, this stereotype continues to exist today. The stereotype is perpetuated both by many white Americans and also many African-American athletes; many black men are quick to throw away their commitment to education in exchange for athletic pursuits, creating a perfect partnership for destruction.
I can't count how many black athletes I've seen through the years who've seen their lives ruined by only focusing on sports without picking up a book between dribbles of the basketball. Perhaps it's time for us to learn from our history and start to evolve in a productive fashion.
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Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
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