Montpelier High, in Vermont, will fly the Black Lives Matter flag to commemorate Black History Month .
AP
Happy Black History Month, y’all!
It’s finally time that time of the year. A time to celebrate Black love. Black joy. Black art. Black people. These things are by no means unique to February (surprise, surprise: Black joy happens every single day!) yet you can expect a little more celebration this month.
Speaking of celebration, I’ve asked two of my colleagues, Michael Butler and David Neal, to lend their pens to this newsletter later this month. You won’t want to miss what they have to say. All I know is this: they’re definitely going to show out.
With that being said, let’s start the show.
C. Isaiah Smalls II author card
INSIDE THE 305
Arthur McDuffie, an insurance salesman and ex-Marine, is shown in a family photo. Miami Herald File
Arthur McDuffie Day should serve as a reminder to all of Miami that the Magic City isn’t the melting pot that she claims to be. As we honor McDuffie’s memory, may we continuously fight to eliminate the dark forces that extinguished his light.
Miami Dolphins former head coach Brian Flores looks from the sidelines during fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, November 7, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. David Santiago dsantiago@miamiherald.com
For years, we have known that a hiring disparity exists in the NFL. Just ask Colin Kaepernick. So shoutout to Brian Flores for taking a stand – regardless of the impact that it has on his future career.
In Leonard Pitts’ new, poignant piece about Critical Race Theory, the columnist takes aim at the Desantis-backed law banning lessons that make students (read: white students) feel bad. As Pitts explains, lynchings, Jim Crow and slavery are all key aspects of American history that cannot be fully explained and comprehended “without risk of making white folks feel bad — at least those that are inclined to feel guilty or ashamed or personally implicated when confronted with the historical misdeeds of other white folks.”
Let’s be real. Olaudah Equiano did not place himself up for auction in Virginia. Emmett Till did not knock out his own eye and heave his body into the Tallahatchie River. Clyde Ross did not redline himself into a predatory mortgage on a home in a Chicago ghetto. Rosa Parks did not kick herself off that Montgomery bus.
White people did those things. That is an unalterable truth, but that makes it no less easy for some white people to bear. To put it plainly, it embarrasses them. As Harold McCray, a Black father from Miami, puts it, “If you’ve done somebody wrong so much, you just you want that person to get over it.” Because every second they spend not being over it is a second that pinches your conscience. Small wonder that willful ignorance becomes an attractive alternative.
OUTSIDE THE 305
FILE - In this July 6, 2021, file photo, an electronic signboard welcomes people to the Howard University campus in Washington. Two high-profile faculty appointments this week could be a fundraising and enrollment bonanza for Howard University, one of the nation’s most prestigious Black colleges. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) Jacquelyn Martin AP
Spelman College, Howard University and Bethune-Cookman University were among more than a dozen HBCUs that have faced bomb threats since Monday.
As a HBCU alum, it’s not only concerning but devastating considering that threats began Monday, Jan. 31, and have continued into Black History Month. By no means am I surprised — many state governments have stiffed HBCUs for years — yet this latest wave of attacks are even more sinister. I cannot even begin to imagine what the students are going through but, rest assured, we, as HBCU alumni, got your back!
I stumbled upon the Quinta Brunson-created “Abbott Elementary” three episodes into its first season and have been hooked ever since.
A mockumentary based in Philadelphia, “Abbott Elementary” offers viewers a hilarious peek inside the day-to-day of an inner city school. Complete with relatable characters and captivating storylines, the show explores “how we have failed kids and the people who spend their lives providing for them,” The Undefeated’s David J. Dennis writes.
Abbott Elementary does all of this without addressing COVID-19 or coming off as heavy-handed. It just reminds us that the problems plaguing schools have always been there, ignored until we’ve become what we are: a society that views teachers and children as disposable.
Even better, the show tackles real issues with a touch of lightheartedness that keeps the audience from toiling in despair. It’s not often that a new show captures my attention like this but I’m all in on “Abbott Elementary.”
C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.
