"It's Not Really My Country"

In 1968 during a interview with Joe Garagiola on the Today show, basketball stand out Lew Alcindor answered the question everyone was wondering: Why was he protesting the 1968 Olympics? He answered the question by stating, "Yeah I live here, but it's not really my country."

Many wondered what Alcindor meant when he claimed America was not really his country.

Even the Chicago Defender's A.S "Doc" Young wondered, "Where is YOUR country?"

Lew Alcindor was born in Harlem in 1947. Alcindor soon learned about the separation between blacks and whites when he found himself excluded from his classmates, playing with two black classmates. He enrolled in a catholic high school where his basketball coach, Jack Donohue, told him how the "N" word should never be used. After having discussions with his basketball coach about racism, Alcindor became interested in Civil Rights.

By the 1960's, Lew began to admire Bill Russell and look up to him as a model.

When the school year ended in 1964, Alcindor went back to Harlem, where he worked at HARYOU-ACT, a youth education program. On July 16, 1964, a white policeman, who was off duty, shot and killed a fifteen-year-old African American. Riots broke out. When Alcindor arrived in Harlem, there was chaos. Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant burned for six days. After witnessing this traumatic event, Lew Alcindor was not going to sit around and be neglected, he was going to speak his mind.

On May 4, 1965, Lew Alcindor made a decision to play for the UCLA Bruins. Ralphe Buche, Jackie Robinson and Rafer Johnson were all black athletes who attended the college.

Alcindor picked the school because it would be able to excel in basketball and in class as well, without any discrimination.

Alcindor was a standout at UCLA:

At UCLA, Lew was informed that the dunk shot. This rule would be known as "The Lew Alcindor Rule."

Alcindor boycotted the Olympics because he said, "if you live in a racist society, you have to react-and this is my way of reacting." Critics called Alcindor a traitor. Bob Considine, a political commentator wrote that black athletes were " 'stupid' for believing a boycott could create any meaningful social change. "

Lew Alcindor can call American his country only when "African Americans achieved self-determination and empowerment. "

http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2009/JSH3602/jsh3602g.pdf

Branching Out

Jackie Robinson made history when the racial gap was broken. BUT the reason behind it all was Rickey Branch. Sure Robinson had really great skills and a persona that didn't make him react to the crowd, but Branch was the one who believed in Robinson.

Rickey began his baseball career at Ohio Wesleyan University. He made his major league debut with the St. Louis Browns and after two sessions he was sold to the New York Highlanders.

Rickey approached George MacLaughlin. He told MacLaughlin that he wanted to recruit black players for the Dodgers. MacLaughlin liked the idea, however he told Branch that he needed to find a good player who could control himself. By mid 1945 Branch narrowed his search. Branch liked the idea that Robinson was educated and stayed away from alcohol. Rickey gave Robinson a copy of Papini's Life of Christ and asked him to read it. There were certain sections on nonviolence that he would have to look over because of the negativity that was coming his way.

According to a witness in the meeting Jackie Robinson said, "Mr. Rickey, I think I can play ball ... in Brooklyn. ... If you want to take this gamble, I will promise you there will be no incident." At the end of the meeting, Jackie Robinson signed a contract to play for the Montreal Royal. Rickey Branch stayed alongside Jackie Robinson. Robinson's triumph and Branch's leadership showed the first great public civil rights event.

I think that it took a lot for Robinson to be the first black to play in the major league. But I also think he was ready for change and didn't want to play amateur baseball anymore. I also think that Branch showed leadership through this story and is really seen as a great man for staying by Robinson's side and supporting him through this era.