More Than A Month

Juwan Howard threw a blow at an opposing coach. There’s no excuse for it. He got fined and suspended for the rest of the season. He apologized and is facing the consequences. He made a mistake. He is making amends. He is a role model. But what about the opposing coach, who escalated the situation by sprinting into the scrum where he aggressively interacted with Coach Howard’s players? In a situation like this, the role of coaches is clear: use your body as a buffer to the violence. Grab your own players and get them out of the mix. He did the exact opposite—and he is facing zero consequences.

One of the reasons that I believe race belongs in this conversation is because the opposing coach is a 6’7” white dude who has always been allowed to move his body and use his words—on and off the court—in ways that Black players and coaches cannot. If Black History Month means anything, it must be a reminder that this double standard still determines the way power operates in society. This painful reality remains invisible for most people who look like me. We are trapped in a history we do not understand—as James Baldwin wrote—and until we understand it, we will never be released from it. This is real spiritual work—and it is going to take more than a month for us to see it and get free from it.