Duke's "Uncle Tom" problem.

It's "March Madness" time so this next post is timely.

Let me start by saying that I cannot stand Duke basketball. I hate Coach K and that weasel look he gives the refs when he doesn't get a call. I hate the way they slap their hands on the court before they go into defensive position. I hate those obnoxious fans known as the "Cameron Crazies", I can't stand the way they get their pick of McDonald's All Americans every year, and I hate seeing those four letters on their chests which reminds me of a certain racist I destroyed in a debate once. Having said that; I have to disagree with my man, Jalen Rose.

In case you have been on a different planet, or you don't happen to be a sports fan, Rose ripped the African American kids who go to Duke and called them "Uncle Toms", while he was promoting his excellent documentary about the "Fab Five" on ESPN.

“For me, Duke was personal. I hated Duke. And I hated everything I felt Duke stood for. Schools like Duke didn’t recruit players like me. I felt like they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms.”

He later tried to clarify his position. Kind of.

“Well, certain schools recruit a typical kind of player whether the world admits it or not. And Duke is one of those schools,” he said. “They recruit black players from polished families, accomplished families. And that’s fine. That’s okay. But when you’re an inner-city kid playing in a public school league, you know that certain schools aren’t going to recruit you. That’s one. And I’m okay with it. That’s how I felt as an 18-year-old kid.” [Source]

I love the fact that Jalen is speaking his mind, and the fact that he is addressing the R word in a public forum here in A-merry-ca. (Nothing drives A-merry-cans crazy like the dreaded R word. Watch how some folks go a litte nutty over his comments. ) I just hope he gets to keep his job. Having said that, he really needs to read my Field Negro 101 post. The fact that a kid happens to be from an "accomplished" or "polished" family does not make him an Uncle Tom or a House Negro. Being a House Negro or a Tom has nothing to do with your level of education or your wealth. It's a state of mind. Some of the poorest and most uneducated Negroes have a serious Tom and House mentality. I happen to like Grant Hill. The same goes for guys like Elton Brand, (who has a wonderful wife and does great work with charities here in Philly.) Chris Duhon, Hubert Davis, and Tommy Amaker. They are all "Dukies", but they are cool with me. Nothing about those guys say Tom or House. The truth is, I grew up with more cats like Grant Hill than Jalen Rose, and I am always in a field state of mind. The same is true for quite a few people that I know, and their station in life has nothing to do with it.

Still, in a way, -like some other people- I understand the context in which Rose was making his statement, but we have to be careful not to reinforce ignorant stereotypes when we speak. ---especially when we are public figures like Jalen Rose. Some will take what Rose said this way: To be really black and have your black card, you have to come from a broken home, make poor grades, and grow up in an impoverished environment. That is wrong.

It sure would have been cool if Duke had recruited Rose and he turned them down to go to Michigan. Because that would have meant that he passed all the academic requirements to get into Duke but simply chose not to go. This sounds like sour grapes because he didn't make the grades in the first place.

In the days to come Rose will be vilified by some in certain quarters, (Read some of the comments after the links I gave you.) and that is unfortunate. He simply spoke his mind and said how he felt. I disagree with him, but I am glad he was honest.

I just hope that in the days to come we will be able to say the same of his critics.

Finally, sticking to the sports theme; congrats to the Philly Youth polo team (featured on my side-bar) and their coach, Lezlie Hiner, for wining the USPA Championship down in Virginia this past weekend. That is serious field Negro behavior. Oh, and it gets better: one of the players on the team will be heading to Cornell in the fall.

Leave him alone Jalen. It's Cornell, not Duke.