Sterling on recorded tapes, it is indeed a major rupture in the body of the National Basketball
Association. Donald Sterling in his denigration of African Americans, Latinos and minorities in
particular, present all of us with a teachable moment. Unfortunately, we have not yet arrived at a post
racial society. Whether it is the unsavory and denigrating comments of Cliven Bundy in Nevada
concerning his approval of slavery, this pattern of open discrimination seems to be rising. Mr. Bundy
even suggests that enslavement where Blacks were forced to pick cotton, would seem to be a better
system for African Americans rather than their “dependency on the government for handouts.” This is
despite the fact the Mr. Bundy has refused to pay the government grazing fees for his cattle, on land
that he has not owned for the past 20 years.
Mr. Sterling has said that, “blacks are not welcome at his basketball games and certainly should not be
in Instagram photos with his girlfriend,” when in fact he has a team filled with African Americans, an
African American head coach and assistant coaches, who financially bring millions of dollars to his
pockets each and every season. These remarks strike at the very heart of an illness that affects the
growth and continuous progress of our nation to be a place where diversity is valued rather than a place
where diversity is maligned. We must continue to work for an America that respects all of her sons
and daughters.
The Detroit Branch NAACP supports the decision of the Los Angeles Branch to withdraw its
presentation of their Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Sterling. We applaud all voices, black and
white, professional players currently in the league and those retired, news commentators, corporate
sponsors, and even the President of the United States for their comments declaring that this kind of
attitude and hatred is indeed unacceptable in the year 2014.
We look forward to our own Fight For Freedom Fund Dinner scheduled for Sunday, May 4th at the
New Cobo Convention Center, where we will celebrate “1964-2014…50 Years Later…One Man’s
Commitment…One Nation’s Promise.” We are pleased to have among our special honorees the
longest serving Congressman in U.S. history, The Honorable John Dingell and retiring Senator Carl
Levin, longest serving Senator in Michigan’s history, as they will be presented with the James Weldon
Johnson Lifetime Achievement Award. We invite all people to join us in celebration!
We remain committed to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who continues to inspire when he
said 50 years ago, “I have decided to stick with love, hate is too great a burden to bear.” Let us all lift
the burden of hate and intolerance off the shoulders of a nation that is indeed desperate for a better way
and a better day.
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