The change has come to America, or has it?

The first Black president of the United States has just been elected. Great! Although, I was surprised to find out that to some people the change so frequently spoken of during the campaign was to be unanimous with a disappearance of any racial tension in this country upon Obama's victory. Not so fast...

I attended a high school basketball game last night. On one side an all Black team (let's call it Team X), on the other a team with only one Black player and all-White coaching staff (Team Y). Team X dominated throughout the game allowing Team Y only a few chances to tie. All was well until the last 4 seconds of the game. Team Y had possession of the ball and with a 3 point disadvantage the players were hoping to tie the score. But Team X would have none of it. Their forward stole the ball right out of the hands of the player attempting a basket. In a fit of anger the player grabbed him with both hands and threw him on the floor right to the feet of Team Y's bench. One of the coaches kicked him in the side. A fight broke out immediately but was quickly stopped by the security on site. Stunned spectators would not return to their seats for a while and the referees tried to decide if the game could continue. It did... and Team X won.

Interestingly enough, the coach who kicked the young man did not even try to deny it, but called it an accident instead. Later, apparently worried about the consequences of a possible write-up, he found the player on the school bus and apologized. Small comfort to all of us who watched a young Black man being thrown to the ground by one White man and kicked while down by another. Those kind of images were supposed to be a part of history by now, shown on black and white film to contrast the progress America has made since the 60's.

Last spring I witnessed a similarly disturbing scene at another high school basketball game, where batteries were thrown at the cheerleading squad of an all Black team. While the Home fans yelled out derogatory comments and held up green pieces of paper with "Go home Julio" written on it their teaching staff showed no reaction.

Maybe it's still early. Maybe the change will really come on January 20th and we'll be able to tell our Black youth that not only each of them can now potentially become a president of the United Sates but that from now on they will be safe from disrespect at a public event attended by those who are supposed to educate and protect them.