Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Bruce Levenson Isn’t a Racist; He’s a Businessman

[Anansi1171]

4. Esteemed Laker, NBA All-time Scoring Leader, greatest Center ever...

...( Yes,Mr. Russell!), up there with Jackie Robinson as a great UCLA Bruin and I think he held his own reasonably well against the incomparable Bruce Lee. Yes, KAJ is not only a Living Legend and national treasure ( can you tell I'm a fan?) he is filled to the brim with Common Sense!

The issue is the same one apparent on many fronts these days - that white male Gen Xers do not socialize with blacks and (as do many whites ) do not like to be in majority black environs.

Not only is this a political conundrum as we often discuss here, it is apparently a business problem. The email does not excuse the sort of stereotypes prevalent among white guys that would dissuade them from going to see the Hawks play, but those stereotypes may not be dissimilar to those that would keep me (as a black guy) from attending a NASCAR race.

I would argue that the white guy's fears are unfounded ( as Levenson says about the safety of the area surrounding the arena) and that mine were founded( I would wager that I would not leave that NASCAR event without some stridently militant and proud "redneck" making some remark about my race in passing or something), but that is simply my opinion and my fear.

As black man in the Summer of 2014, I am hoping that a Black American Movement can come forth that fosters (1) Black economic aggregation and development, (2) a political and legislative broadside against institutional racism( mass incarceration, War on Drugs, Redlining and barriers to entry) and (3) a global PR campaign to reintroduce and tell the story of actual Black Americans to the rest of the world since the US News Media has proudly propagated the image of gangsters and welfare cheats to EVERY fucking last corner of the Earth.