In an effort to uplift and sustain these traditions, BeyGOOD has been partnering with the annual Bill Pickett Rodeo, a historic event that has been the heartbeat of Black cowboy culture for four decades. The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, recognized as the longest-running Black rodeo in the United States, is a crucial gathering for Black cowboys and cowgirls to showcase their skills and preserve their legacy. Through its Equestrian program, BeyGOOD has committed $500,000 in grants to support these communities, demonstrating a strong commitment to ensuring that this important cultural heritage is not lost to history.

According to WBLS, the BeyGOOD Foundation has already made a tangible impact by participating in the Los Angeles and Atlanta stops of the Bill Pickett Rodeo. At these events, the foundation awarded $25,000 in grants to various organizations that are deeply rooted in the Black equestrian community. Among the recipients were Urban Saddles, Love This Equine and Horse Rescue, The Black Cultural Enlightenment Society/Black Cowboy Festival, the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition, and SOOFA Ranch. Each of these organizations plays a vital role in promoting and sustaining Black equestrian and agricultural traditions.

Founded by Beyoncé in 2013, BeyGOOD started as an initiative to support global causes and has now evolved into a 501(c)(3) public charity, known as the BeyGOOD Foundation. Over the past decade, BeyGOOD has engaged in numerous humanitarian efforts, from providing scholarships to addressing the water crisis in Burundi, and aiding families affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Beyoncé’s vision for the foundation is to continue building partnerships through innovative programs that have a lasting impact on communities around the world.

One of the youngest beneficiaries of the BeyGOOD Equestrian Grants is nine-year-old Kendall Rae Johnson, the youngest farmer in Georgia and the owner of Green Heart. Her success story is a testament to the importance of nurturing the next generation of Black farmers and equestrians. The support provided by the BeyGOOD Foundation is crucial in helping young entrepreneurs like Kendall Rae continue their work and inspire future generations.

The significance of this initiative cannot be overstated. By supporting these grants, the BeyGOOD Foundation is not just providing financial assistance; it is affirming the value of Black agricultural and equestrian traditions in the broader American story. These efforts ensure that the legacies of Black cowboys, farmers, and ranchers are recognized and celebrated, rather than forgotten. To learn more about the recipients and the work of the BeyGOOD Foundation, visit BeyGOOD.org

We learned Thursday Women’s National Basketball Association player Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison after being arrested 10 months ago on drug charges. It’s become almost irrelevant the “reasons” totalitarian regimes use to lock up Americans. What is relevant here is the “negotiated exchange” resulting in her release and return.

A black, LGBTQ+ celebrity was exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor “The Merchant of Death” Bout. It’s interesting to note, Griner first made news by kneeling through the playing of our national anthem during WNBA games to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter — a self-professed Marxist organization. Meanwhile, Bout was in a U.S. federal prison for selling arms to groups wanting the weapons to kill Americans. Now, Griner and Bout can return, respectively, to hating America and killing Americans.

A recent Defense News article by Stephen Losey titled “Russia burning through ammunition in Ukraine at ‘extraordinary’ rate” may explain Putin’s urgency to bring Bout home.

The Griner-Bout “exchange” is akin to Biden’s disastrous decision to abandon Americans and our allies in Afghanistan in 2021. It also reminds us how, in 2014, Biden’s mentor and boss, Barack Obama, exchanged American deserter U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban terror leaders. Four of those five are now prominent in Afghanistan’s brutal government. Their role in the deaths of 13 U.S. military personnel and 200 civilians on Aug. 29, 2021, is still unknown.

What we do know is Griner was released while other Americans, Paul Whelan and Marc Fogel among them, remain imprisoned in Russia.

In 2018, Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq, was detained in Russia on specious charges of espionage. Russia offered to trade Whelan for Bout. President Donald Trump rejected the offer to avoid allowing “The Merchant of Death” to resume his murderous pursuits.

Marc Fogel, an Anglo-American school teacher in Moscow, was arrested in August 2021 when entering Russia with 17 grams (about a half-ounce) of cannabis, prescribed in Pennsylvania for chronic pain. Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony after conviction for “large-scale drug smuggling.”

The Griner-Fogel cases seem to be similar. Yet, Griner was released after being arrested this Feb. 17. Why?

I know well how very difficult it is to gain the release of Americans held hostage by our nation’s state and non-state adversaries. During the 1980s, that was part of my job on the National Security Council Staff. Because of President Ronald Reagan’s decisive resolve, we often prevailed. But not always. My futile efforts to save CIA officer Bill Buckley from being tortured to death in Beirut will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Some of what I did in those days was certainly controversial. Yet, starting with liberating U.S. Army Brig. Gen. James Dozier from Red Brigade terrorists, we succeeded in reuniting numerous American citizens with their loved ones. We developed in our armed forces and intelligence services the means of bringing to justice perpetrators of horrific acts against our countrymen — some of which are still in use today as evidenced by last Sunday’s action in Syria against ISIS.

Unfortunately, “Bad Decisions” are Biden’s strong suit. His open-border policy has enabled millions to invade our nation across our southern frontier. God only knows how many now here intend to do us harm.

Revelations about Biden’s “Bad Decisions” persist. Elon Musk’s Twitter “document dumps” show collusion among government officials, the Biden campaign and “tech sector” officials to suppress conservatives’ free speech.

The most immediate mission for the 118th Congress must be legislative action to protect our homeland and countrymen from adversaries, “foreign and domestic.”

Columnist; Oliver North

Official website; https://twitter.com/OliverLNorth

I had a wonderful opportunity to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted by Qatar as part of an official United States delegation. The FIFA World Cup is the Ursa Major of international athletic extravaganzas worthy of the cinematic genius of Cecile B. DeMille.

Despite the formidable logistics challenges, Qatar has harmonized the multiple moving parts in hosting the tournament with the proficiency of Arturo Toscanini conducting an orchestra.

I was privileged to enjoy considerable face time with the United States ambassador to Qatar, Timmy T. Davis, and the Qatar ambassador to the United States, Excellency Sheikh Meshal Bin Hamad Al-Thani. Both are diplomats par excellence: engaging, informative, candid, undisputatious, debonair and unfailingly courteous. They refute the cynical British definition of an ambassador—“an honest man sent to lie abroad for the commonwealth.”

If Oscars were given in international affairs, Qatar would win an award for best supporting actor to the United States in the Arabian Gulf.

President Joe Biden designated Qatar as a major Non-NATO ally of the United States last March 10, a designation richly deserved.

Qatar hosts the largest United States military base in the Middle East. The Al Udeid Air Base in west Doha Qatar is home to the headquarters of United States Central Command and United State Air Force Central Command. The national security significance of the base cannot be overstated.

Yemen is a failed nation convulsed by civil war and sanctuary for the terrorist Houthis, a proxy of Iran’s radical Shiite Ayatollahs. Iran—a state sponsor of terrorism—resists renouncing its destabilizing nuclear ambitions. It has become a menacing regional hegemon asserting controlling military and political influence over Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The Arabian Gulf, including the Straits of Oman, is indispensable to the international oil market and United States prosperity. Indeed, President Jimmy Carter in his 1980 State of the Union Address warned: “Let our position be absolutely clear: an attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.”

Unlike some of its neighbors, Qatar has not been a fair weather friend. It was a first responder in assisting the United States’ evacuation of tens of thousands from Afghanistan after the 2021 takeover of Kabul by the Taliban. Qatar served as a major gateway for 55,000 persons airlifted out of the country—nearly 50% of the total evacuated by U.S.-led forces. It conducted rescue missions on its own with a few hundred troops and military aircraft.

On Nov. 12, 2021, Qatar agreed to serve as the United States’ “protecting power” in Afghanistan to a regime not recognized by President Biden.

Qatar abandoned OPEC to focus on natural gas. “Qatar will not rejoin OPEC because trying to sway global oil prices doesn’t fit with its strategy,” Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi explained.

Qatar features Al Jazeera Network, a journalist gem in a region notorious for censorship and the murder or torture of dissenters. Al Jazeera has won a cavalcade of coveted awards. Al Jazeera English, for example, was named Broadcaster of the Year at the 2022 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards for the sixth consecutive year.  It rivals the BBC in worldwide audiences with an estimated 50 million viewers.

Al Jazeera is the nightmare of the many Middle East dictators. Its journalists have been detained for long years in Egypt for honest reporting. Tunisia has closed Al Jazeera’s broadcast offices.

Qatar and the United States enjoy a religious affinity. We are both people of the Book who believe in God. Christian churches and synagogues are permitted in Doha.

Qatar opposes radical Islam. It is an active participant in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and all the Defeat-ISIS working groups. It maintains an interagency National Counterterrorism Committee (NCTC) with representatives from more than 10 government agencies. The NCTC formulates Qatar’s CT policy, ensuring interagency coordination, fulfilling Qatar’s CT-related obligations under international conventions, and participating in multilateral conferences on terrorism. Qatar restricts the overseas activities of Qatari charities, requiring all such activity to be conducted through one of four approved charities—to prevent the hijacking of charitable giving to advance terrorism.

The media reporting on the 2022 World Cup has fixated on Qatar’s migrant workers and LGBT proselytizing—inflating fleas into elephants. The migrants voluntarily left their home countries for the greener and more welcoming pastures of Qatar. To the extent workers have been cheated or exploited, employment agencies in their home countries are overwhelmingly responsible. The migrants are nine times the number of Qataris, and its humane and responsible migrant employment regulations cannot be perfectly enforced.

But the same is true of highly developed countries like the United States, where laws purporting to protect migrant workers are flouted daily. If the treatment of Qatar’s migrant workers were as shocking as some media reports insinuate, they would stop coming instead of standing in a queue eager for entry.

Qatar’s culture frowns on public displays of LGBT orientations or enthusiasms as do many nations. FIFA knew that in choosing Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup. Attendees know in advance that publicly exhibiting LGBT membership risks legal consequences. When in Rome, do as the Romans do is a time-honored courtesy expected of visitors in foreign lands.

The United States would be well advised to anchor its Middle East strategy to Qatar as Achilles relied on Patroclus in the Trojan War.

Columnist; Armstrong Williams

Official website; http://www.armstrongwilliams.com

It’s a quaint notion, the idea that someone is innocent until proven guilty, but it used to be the rock upon which our system of justice was built. Now your political affiliation, real or imagined, overrides everything else. The Biden family can rake in millions through foreign companies and governments, in specialized industries they have literally no experience in, and the left-wing media complex will collectively yawn. You can even add in a treasure trove of seeming confessions, a verified digital paper trail, and countless videos of the President’s son smoking crack with prostitutes marinated in signs of sex trafficking and abuse and there is zero interest from legacy media.

But when one person with a loose association with someone named Trump is accused of wrongdoing and teams of reporters are dispatched. When there are two, one a famous athlete and the other a Republican politician, the journalistic equivalent of SEAL Team Six is sent.

What are the alleging? It’s fairly convoluted and not criminal.

First off, you wouldn’t know that second part about there being only a civil suit, nothing criminal, if you followed most of the media. “He’s hiding” or “He should be in jail” are common refrains from the sports media world, noted for their legal expertise, I assume. But that’s not how civil suits work.

So what was the “crime” here? Brett Favre cashed checks. Checks, by the way, no one is even alleging the Governor knew anything about, let alone signed.

The story seems to be that Favre received $1.1 million from the Mississippi Department of Human Services for speeches that he never delivered. I don’t know how many speeches he did deliver over those years, but being familiar with how wildly famous star athletes make a ton of money after retirement, it’s not impossible to believe that he never noticed the money. Hell, Joe Biden was making a small fortune for speeches after his stint as Vice President. Think he remembers any of it?

When massive problems in the Mississippi state welfare system were exposed, including the payments to Favre, he paid the money back. Am I missing the scandal here?

Another part of this story is Favre’s charity, called Favre 4 Hope, donated $130,000 to his alma matter, the University of Southern Mississippi, “during the same years that Favre was working to finance a new volleyball center at the school.”

Personally, I’ll never understand anyone giving money to their college. Mine got every penny out of me they’ll ever get and the only reason I welcome their solicitations in the mail is get perverse joy in knowing they spend even tiny sums of money sending them. It’ll never chip much away from what they got from me, but the moral victory is glorious.

Still, star athletes and other exceedingly wealthy people do like “giving back” to their schools and the places they grew up, both being the case with Favre here. It’s their money, and they aren’t cutting me checks, so what do I care what they do with it?

Well, I don’t, but scalp-hunters apparently do. And when you’ve been associated with a Trump, your scalp is particularly valuable. Add in that former Republican Governor’s scalp during election season and it is game on! It’s probably why they’ve going after Favre so hard, it’s a twofer with Bryant at a time when Republicans in the south are fighting for control of the Senate and other governorships against Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself). Damage to the brand could damage candidates across the region, and elections in Georgia are not only hotly contested, they’re wildly important too.

Just remember, there’s nothing illegal about Favre’s charitable donation. The charity has a mission statement, to help disadvantaged kids and people with cancer – which It did and presumably still does – but that fact is being ignored.  In reality, however, charities like these can give its money to almost any cause it wants, within reason. Brett Favre isn’t a Clinton, so he can’t live off that money and, say, drop more than $8 million for “travel” over the course of one year and get a pat on the back from the “watchdog” media. Then again, it raises none of those eyebrows either when, with no political power to hold and nothing else to sell, donations to that charity dry up faster than the pool of people actively seeking to move to California.

True, the Clintons were associated with Donald Trump, but that was before Trump became a Republican. History reset that day – old friendships and associations with Trump were forgiven, like Joe Scarborough and third wife Mika Brzezinski, as long as they were ended (and they were). Brett Favre didn’t end his because normal people who don’t live or work in New York, LA and DC don’t work that way.

Life is different when you’re a liberal in good standing. Brett Favre isn’t, nor is Phil Bryant. And that appears to be what they are truly guilty of, to me at least. I’m no lawyer, I didn’t hate myself enough to force myself through law school, but I don’t think Democrats have been able to make noting being one of them a crime. At least not yet…

Columnist; Derek Hunter

Official website; http://twitter.com/derekahunter

Columnist; Will Alexander

Official website; http://twitter.com/walexander59

Likewise terrible leaders almost always have crutches they lean on to hoist themselves upon to look like they’re  leading.

This weekend was a case study in both.

After ending the somewhat mystical trip *President Biden made to NATO this week he decided to pay the troops a “surprise visit.”

He immediately gave a bizarre speech to men and women in uniform, broke all military protocol and insulted them in the mess hall, and issued a proclamation about regime change.

Meanwhile a former uniformed Captain in the US Army was busy in another struggle to pursue excellence, chase improvement, and to conduct one’s self with such discipline and effort that they literally slept that night with no regret.

Biden told the troops he leads that “When they go to Ukraine soon, and some of them had already been there, that they were going to see women stand in the middle of… er in front of a damn tank… and say ‘I’m not leavin’, I’m holding’ my ground… they’re incredible.”

Aside from the fact that our policy is that we are not sending our troops into Ukraine, it’s likely he pulled the rest of that made up imaginary scenario from stuff he saw on TV and or was from a dream that was caused by some undigested beef from the night before.

The other leader, when a camera was on him early in the week, had taken the moment to acknowledge the effort of those he labored against. “They were really tough,” he admitted. He then proceeded to give 100% of the credit to the people he leads, “but my guys, they worked so hard, and they’ve grown up so much in the past 10-12 days, and I just couldn’t be prouder. I kept thinking to myself ‘Holy Mackerel! I get to lead these guys.”

After Biden’s speech it was time to eat and upon entering the mess hall, he wandered over to a table, saw a box of pizza, proclaimed “hey look the pizza’s here.” He then opened it, his shaky grip waving a piece back and forth he lifted it to his lips and scarfed it. The only problem being that in the military the officers eat last and the higher the rank the longer you wait. And as the commander in chief no one out-ranked him. The shock and dismay by the troops in the room was captured on video and in pictures that flooded social media.

Meanwhile as the other leader was preparing his young men for their next challenge, the most serious they had faced yet, they were effusive to the camera about their leader’s example to them. They spoke of his personal commitment to helping them become better men in all of life—not merely the pursuit of their established goal. And to a man each of them said that the success in their present challenge was driven by a desire to honor him, for his lifetime of pouring out that good example to generations of men.

Before boarding Air Force One to return to the United States, speaking on Polish soil, Biden free formed this proclamation, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.” It was a reference to Putin and openly disputed current policy. But even if it is or was in the process of becoming policy one would think it pretty stupid to openly say it. Especially so when the named paranoid dictator already suspects it to be the aim of the US.

Meanwhile the other leader, former United States Army Captain, and the winningest coach in college basketball’s history, Mike Krzyzewski, when asked his strategy to defeating Michigan State, Texas Tech, and Arkansas in back to back difficult tests in this year’s March Madness, would only talk publicly about the need to respect their opponent and to use grit and smarts to out play them.

The fact of the matter is that “Coach K” has on every occasion his team has won the national championship given all the credit to his players. And in every major loss on the national stage he’s shoulder all of the blame and responsibility for not preparing them well enough.

With Biden every tiny success comes from his own genius, his storied toughness, his impressive ability to do things that no one else has ever seemingly done. (Even if most of them never happened.)

And in the middle of one of the most miserable administrations we the American people have lived through he blames everyone except the very policies he’s put in place that has created the national malaise he ushered in.

Sadly we are losing the humble faithful soldiers like Mike Krzyzewski on the national stage. His enduring excellence has produced 15 ACC Tournament Championships, 13 Final Fours, 11 Coach of the year honors, 9 Gold Medals and 5 national championships with one more shot dangling before him.

Instead we’re stuck with a man who’s been in politics roughly the same length of time that the Coach has been coaching and as his own former boss would say should never be “underestimated when it comes to the ability to ‘mess’ things up.”

Character, humility, and service to others.

I know which of these two men I want my sons to emulate.

Columnist; Kevin McCullough

Official website; http://twitter.com/KMCRadio

One of America’s wealthiest African American communities, the Greenwood District was hailed as the “Black Wall Street of America” – a shining example of the life-changing impact potential of American free enterprise. Most remarkably, the Greenwood District’s success came less than 60 years after emancipation. Black Wall Street emerged as a model for other African American communities to proactively achieve economic and social prosperity.

Tragically, this beacon of prosperity was violently destroyed in just 24 hours, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, by mobs of white Tulsans jealous of their Black neighbors’ success (some had even been deputized and provided weapons). Over those two days, Greenwood businesses and homes were burned to the ground, thousands were injured, and hundreds were murdered in a massacre that is still considered to be one of America’s worst single acts of racial violence in U.S. history.

Beyond the unspeakable carnage, perhaps equally tragic is that these events, now known as the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921, would be largely forgotten for almost 100 years.

To better understand this evil perpetrated by citizens against citizens, we must look beyond those two repugnant days in 1921 and remind ourselves that Oklahoma had been considered a haven for Black people since the Civil War. Dozens of Black townships and settlements were established in Oklahoma, with the Greenwood District serving as the most prosperous community – proudly “built for Black people, by Black people.”

While these communities were growing and prospering, racism and resentment had been lingering among white Tulsans for years. It would take little to spark a riot, and that flashpoint began when 19-year-old Dick Rowland, a young Black American with a shoe-shine business, was accused of assaulting a white elevator operator named Sarah Page. When the Tulsa Tribune shared news of the alleged assault and provided an accompanying editorial demanding a lynching that night, a horrible race riot and massacre soon followed.

As Rowland awaited his right to due process in a local jail, throngs of Blacks and whites gathered at the courthouse. When the Blacks made it clear they would protect Rowland’s right to a speedy and fair trial, the unruly white mob ignited the riot that would destroy Greenwood.

The once-thriving Greenwood District had more than 1,400 homes and businesses burned to the ground, and nearly 10,000 people were left homeless. While “the official” Greenwood death toll was recorded at 10 whites and 26 Blacks, many experts today believe at least 300 people were killed (mostly Blacks).

As America celebrates Black History Month, it is time to intensify the light on one of the worst stains on American history. Although there have been attempts to return Greenwood to its former stature after the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, the community never could recapture the success and prosperity it once enjoyed.

The destruction of Black Wall Street led to severe economic and social losses for the people of Tulsa. Especially important to note is that the inter-generational wealth acquired by black citizens would never be passed on to family members. Many of the thousands of victims who were displaced during those terrible days, never returned. Many survivors and their families never recovered socially or economically.

Hopeful signs in America since the Tulsa Riots

Since this calamity, America has experienced many positive changes within the Black community. The number of Black members of Congress has increased. A Black president presided for two historical terms. Soon, we will likely have two Blacks seated on the nine-member United States Supreme Court. Further, a record number of Blacks now hold federal judgeships. And our current Vice President is Black. The color barrier has been broken in all professional sports in the United States, with Black athletes playing a significant role in baseball and literally dominating in football and basketball. Since 1921, Black Americans have won numerous Academy Awards, traveled in space, and won Nobel Prizes.

Economically, there also are reasons to celebrate within the Black community. The Multicultural Economy Report from the University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth estimates minority buying power in the U.S. and all 50 states have increased over the past 30 years. It estimates the buying power for Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native Americans is up from $671 billion in 1990 to $4.9 trillion today. The total buying power of this demographic increased from 15.6% of the U.S. economy in 1990 to 28.3% in 2020.

The Selig Center also identified other economic improvements, noting that purchasing power among Black Americans rose to $1.6 trillion or 9% of our nation’s total purchasing power – a number equal to the nominal GDP of Canada!

We are also pleased to see free enterprise continues to be embraced by Black Americans. According to an October 2021 media release by the U. S. Census Bureau, Blacks owned just under 135,000 multi-employee businesses employing 1.3 million people with another 2 million Black businesses serving as single-person sole proprietorships or partnerships.

Within higher education, the number of black first-year medical students increased 21% last fall, bringing in a nationwide class of 2,562 future doctors. Black students made up 11.3% of first-year students in 2021, up from 9.5% in 2020, and the Law School Admission Council declared the incoming class of 2021 to be the most diverse law school class in U.S. history.

America is not perfect, but it is reasonable to note we have come to some distance since 1921, including an ever-growing celebration and understanding of — and appreciation for — Black History Month. By shining a bright light on Black history and re-telling the unimaginable horrors of what happened to Black Wall Street, we create the opportunity to look more deeply at important race-related issues facing the country.

These uncomfortable discussions also present opportunities to talk about difficult realities that still exist in America. We must never forget the lessons of Greenwood, where those who looked different were unjustly singled out and punished mightily, many fatally, for daring to dream big. So too, can these lessons be applied to ideology: We are first and foremost Americans. We should never allow partisan talking points to override the need to engage in open, honest, civil, and peaceful discourse to air our opinions, grievances, and positions.

America has come a long way since Greenwood and with God’s help — and kindness, respect, and love for each other — we will accomplish even greater things as we continue to embrace the principles of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, free enterprise, and opportunity and equality for all. Future successes will be achieved not because some law says so but because credentials, hard work, and results demand it to be so.

While we rightfully continue to recognize and mourn the tragedy of Greenwood, let’s also be mindful of the progress we have made as a nation of immigrants and redouble our efforts to improve the lives of all Americans.

Columnist; Allen West, Dr. Kent D. MacDonald, and Dr. Timothy G. Nash

Official website; http://twitter.com/AllenWest

Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who has yet to stem rising crime as he promised to do, criticized reporters for what he regards as their negative coverage of his administration. To be fair, he was just sworn in on Jan. 1, 2022, but there are few signs that the policies he has so far implemented have had much of an effect.

At a news conference, Adams went a step further and blamed the lack of “diversity” in newsrooms as the reason for his negative coverage. If he wants cheerleaders, perhaps he should hire some from the National Football League.

Mayor Adams is right about the lack of diversity in a media that regularly promotes racial, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation balance in other areas of American life. A 2018 article in Columbia Journalism Review referenced a Census Bureau finding that while racial and ethnic minorities comprise 40 percent of the population, they “make up less than 17 percent of newsroom staff at print and online publications and only 13 percent of newspaper leadership.”

The mayor is wrong, though, when he implies that a Black journalist would – or should – report on him more favorably than a white reporter. Such an assertion demeans the professionalism of journalists of color and suggests because of their race they should support politicians who look like them. This attitude fuels the perception among many news consumers that the media overlook too many faults among Democratic and liberal politicians. All journalists should apply the same standard to all politicians regardless of their race, gender, or sexuality. It is why I have opposed professional associations made up solely of Black and Hispanic journalists. Such organizations suggest a different standard for covering the news and that is bad, not only for the profession, but for the individual reporter and opinion writer.

“I’m a Black man,” said the mayor, “but my story is being interpreted by people that don’t look like me.” How would he “interpret” the uptick in crime since he took office? As The New York Post reported, “New NYPD statistics reveal serious crimes, including in the transit system, are only increasing.” Adams has dismissed concern over these incidents, and notes the paper is spreading a “perception of fear.” It is more than a perception of fear. It is legitimate fear caused by what growing numbers of New Yorkers see as unsafe streets and subways.

How should a Black journalist cover these statistics in ways that would satisfy Adams? Should crime be ignored? Most crime victims are people of color, as are most of the perpetrators. Should Black journalists overlook these facts that bring important information to the public?

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has said something similar. On the occasion of her second anniversary in office, Lightfoot said she would only grant one-on-one interviews to journalists of color, criticizing local media for being “overwhelming white.” One doesn’t have to imagine the furor that would follow an announcement by a white politician that he – or she – would grant interviews only to white reporters. Equally infuriating would be a conservative politician who announced that no interviews would be granted to liberals.

Statements like these by Adams and Lightfoot do not help their believability, or the credibility of modern journalism. Individual journalists, especially those of color, should push back against such racism. So should journalism organizations. Not to do so will further damage an already damaged profession.

Columnist; Cal Thomas

Official website; https://twitter.com/calthomas

Three days before Brian Flores was scheduled to interview for the position of head coach with the New York Giants, he received a text from New England Patriots general manager Bill Belichick congratulating him on getting the job.

Except Belichick thought he was texting Brian Daboll. The Giants not only had decided to hire Daboll before even interviewing Flores, but already was sharing the information with others.

Belichick’s flub illuminated what has long been an open secret in the NFL: too often, complying with the “Rooney Rule,” which requires league teams to interview candidates of color for head coaching and senior football operation jobs, is an empty gesture – a fig leaf to conceal the owners’ indifference to achieving racial parity among top coaching and executive positions.

As head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Flores led the team out of a 20-year slump to consecutive winning seasons between 2020 and 2021. Rather than celebrate his success, Dolphin’s owner Stephen M. Ross fired him. And rather than leap at the chance to hire Flores – or at least seriously consider him – the Giants used his sham interview to create the false impression that a Black candidate had a legitimate chance at obtaining the job.

Flores’ lawsuit against the NFL, the Giants, the Dolphins, and the Denver Broncos – whom he accuses of conducting a similar sham interview in 2019 – has brought to a head the League’s shameful history of racial discrimination and persistent indifference to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Civil rights leaders, including myself, met Monday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, challenging the league to establish specific recruiting and hiring procedures for executive and coaching positions, with meaningful consequences for teams that do not abide by the rules. We agreed to continue collaborating and advising the league to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level of the NFL and its member teams.

The lawsuit cites some appalling statistics. While 70% of NFL players are Black, not one of its 32 team owners is Black. The only team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, employs a Black head coach. Only four teams employ a Black offensive coordinator – a position generally regarded as a steppingstone to head coach. Only 11 teams employ a Black defensive coordinator.

As Flores lawsuit alleges, this is not by chance. A 2016 study of the NFL found that white assistant coaches were 114% more likely to get promoted to the coordinator position than coaches of color with the same experience, education, and track record. The study found that it takes nine years before a white coach has a greater than 50 percent chance of becoming a coordinator, compared with 14 years for a nonwhite coach. The authors estimated that over a 20-year career, a white coach is likely to earn over $20 million more than his nonwhite counterpart.

These challenges are not insurmountable. Consider the success of a memorandum of understanding that telecom giant Comcast signed with the National Urban League and other civil rights organizations in 2010. Among other provisions, the memorandum committed Comcast to establish specific, measurable goals for diversity and inclusion in corporate governance, workforce retention and recruitment, procurement, programming, along with philanthropy and community investments. According to Comcast’s most recent report, people of color make up 44.3% of its workforce, 18.8% of whom are Black. As part of its effort to increase diversity among top executives, the company established a boot camp for mid-level vice president candidates, including no less than 80% diverse candidates. More than 22% of positions of vice president and above now are filled by people of color, and the company has committed to a goal of 33% people of color at every level of its workforce.

There’s no reason the NFL can’t replicate this success. It simply requires a sincere commitment on the part of the owners and league executives.

As Flores’ legal team has said, his lawsuit presents the NFL with an “opportunity to engage in substantive change.” The National Urban League and our sister civil rights groups will do everything in our power to make sure that opportunity is not squandered.

Columnist; Marc Morial

Official website; http://twitter.com/MARCMORIAL

I’m not suggesting pro sports go the route of the great Saturday Night Live skit about the “All-Drug Olympics” from back when the show was funny, but maybe acknowledge that players, even some of the greatest players ever, cheated.

Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle didn’t take steroids, they weren’t really around then, but the players of that era took other things. Amphetamines called “greenies” were passed around in clubhouses regularly to give players the energy they needed when a night a drinking and cheating on their wives left them wanting for energy the next day. Was that cheating? Probably. But no one from that time is punished for it or kept out of the Hall of Fame.

This year’s class of players in their first round of eligibility for the baseball Hall of Fame is one person: David Ortiz. He was a designated hitter who couldn’t play the field to save his life. When he had to play in the field (interleague play) they stuck him at first base, where movement, speed, and ability are needed the least. But he could hit home runs, knocking 541 of them over his career.

He also may well have cheated.

I use that qualifier because we don’t know, it was just a story that made the rounds after an anonymous 2003 test of random players to see the extent of use of performance enhancing drugs. The story is Ortiz tested positive, but the results were all anonymous, so there’s no way to know. He has vehemently denied it.

But somehow, and these things do happen in nature, after 6 years of being a below average player who couldn’t hold a job in the big leagues, he became a force of nature who could do no wrong at the plate. Like I said, sometimes that happens in nature, and there’s no reason to doubt that’s what happened here…aside from those rumors.

Those rumors have dogged a lot of players who otherwise would be in the Hall of Fame. Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmero, Roger Clemens, etc., are just a few. Did they cheat? Some we know did, others we only have allegations against. But all have been denied the Hall because of them.

Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the game, and was from a young age, but he’s out. The sportswriters, who are the gatekeepers of who gets in and who doesn’t, have deemed him unworthy, so he’s out.

All these players will likely get in at some point, when the various veteran’s committees, which consist of former players, have their say. But they shouldn’t have to wait that long if the Hall is about what you did on the field.

Did Barry Bonds juice? It sure seems like it. He had Hall of Fame skills as a rookie, but not the kind of power he showed when his size, including that of his head, swelled massively over one off season. Did the others juice? Maybe. But what they are alleged to have done wasn’t against the rules of baseball at the time. Should they be punished forever?

They actually hit those home runs, made those plays. The writers, who sit in judgment of them, never did. And can you really trust those writers? The really only kept out Curt Schilling because he’s a vocal conservative, so we’re not dealing with people who care about the game…of baseball, at least.

Finally, and I have softened on all of this, they should be in. But more than that, so should Pete Rose. He has more hits than anyone else who played the game, 955 more than anyone active in the game today, and that guy is 42 years old and not a threat to catch him. It’s absurd he’s not in the Hall of Fame because of a lifetime ban for betting on baseball at a time Major League Baseball (and all pro sports) are partnering with, and hammering huge checks from, gambling companies. You can’t watch a football game without 20 ads for how you can get rich by betting like various Oscar winning actors.

If Major League Baseball has “an official gaming partner,” what is the justification for a continued ban on Rose? Spite, and that’s it.

Pete Rose will be 81 in April. The rumor is MLB will allow him in after he dies. How many billions will they have sucked out of the pockets of addicted gamblers and manipulated novices through their partnerships with gambling organizations before then?

Is cheating really cheating if everyone is doing it?

Ideally, no one would cheat, sports would literally be a contest between great athletes at peak performance through hard work and preparation. But there’s a lot of money on the line, too much for some to not seek an advantage. That advantage causes others to try to find their own, and it spirals from there. Is baseball just going to pretend the 1990s didn’t happen?

The McGuire/Sosa home run chase brought millions of new fans to the game and millions more back to it. Barry Bonds filled stadiums as he knocked balls out of it. The owners made bigger fortunes and the sportswriters lapped it all up, keeping their jobs because people wanted to read about all of it. Now they sit in judgment over the players that made them? Worse, they deem them unworthy? Who the hell are they?

If you want to keep undeserving people out of the Hall of Fame start with the Baseball Writers Association of America. End it there too.

Columnist; Derek Hunter

Official website; http://twitter.com/derekahunter