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WBEN Extra: Race Relations.

What is the state of race relations in the nation and here in WNY?

In just one week, the NBA has banned an owner for racist remarks, the Supreme Court ruled on banning affirmative action in the college admission process, and Buffalo police were caught on cell phone video kicking and hitting an unarmed black suspect. 
Can we ever truly be race blind?
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  "We're not race blind. And it's not equal for blacks and whites. And until there is a level playing field , you can't say we should be a race blind society, because we are not."

-- Buffalo area civil rights icon George Arthur, NAACP Board member, former City Council Pres.
In Studio In Depth: Hear John Zach and Susan Rose with Rev. Darius Pridgen, Buffalo City Council Pres. & Rev. Kinzer Pointer, Agape Fellowship Baptist Church
Pointer on Race & Generational Issues   CLICK TO LISTEN
Both on Discrimination, Dignity  CLICK TO LISTEN
Pridgen & Pointer on Police Brutality   CLICK TO LISTEN
Pridgen & Pointer: Racism's Widespread   CLICK TO LISTEN
Are you satisfied with the action taken by the NBA against Donald Sterling?
( 54% )
( 46% )
 The case of banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is sparking a discussion on race across America... and even to some degree on youth basketball courts around here too.

 Former Buffalo Bill Jeff Nixon has worked with at risk youth across the region almost since the day he retired from football and he says the racial issue certainly resonates on basketball courts, where kids look up to the players and some in college could even look to the NBA for a career.

"I I think that they look at that and they think racism is alive and well in the United States. It's not the kind of thing that young people that are aspiring to maybe play in the NBA some day want to see, obviously, .. I don't think they would want to play for an owner like that... it's got to be very uncomfortable."

  " I absolutely think it was appropriate. I was proud of Adam Silver. I know Adam.. and in his short times commissioner he has certainly sent the message that he's going to ensure that the league is a league that everyone can be proud of"

"I don't think Donald Sterling represents the tenor the tone or the overall makeup of the NBA at all."      
     - Bernie Tolbert
Former NBA Executive and Buffalo Mayoral candidate now running for a seat on the Buffalo School Board
Despite that  Russell Kingsbury of the Buffalo Youth Advantage sports league says he feels the kids are almost immune to the topic, and in some ways take racism for granted.

"It think they understand that there is some level of racism that older generation people have," Kingsbury says. .
Nixon blogs extensively on racial issues and weighed in early on Sterling calling for blacks and Latin Americans to boycott the games. He says the Sterling case is a sign of the times.

"We seem to have come a way on racism you know, but then you have things like this that remind you it is still prevalent and needs to be dealt with." Nixon says.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (Pictured R) heeded the demands of many and delivered one of the harshest penalties in the history of U.S.. sports: a lifetime ban from the league and a $2.5 million fine. Despite Sterling's donations to black causes and the rich contract he gave the game's top black coach, Silver also promised to convince owners to force a sale of the Clippers over the 80-year-old Sterling's "hateful" demands for his 31-year-old girlfriend not to broadcast her association with black people.

"We can't remove racism from American society any more than we can remove murder.But just because we can't remove it, that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight it."

- Dr. Harry Edwards

A national consultant on sports and race issues







"In this country, people are allowed to be morons. They're allowed to be stupid. They're allowed to think idiotic thoughts."


- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban
before the NBA ban against Sterling







Retired NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was bothered by the sudden outrage. "What bothers me about this whole Donald Sterling affair isn't just his racism," he wrote on Time magazine's website. "I'm bothered that everyone acts as if it's a huge surprise."

"When something like this comes out and it's so blatant, it's embarrassing for a lot of people who want to believe that they live in a society where racism doesn't exist. A lot of them might be white; a lot might also be black."


- Prof. Todd Boyd, University of Southern California  Author of the NBA book "Young, Black, Rich and Famous."

Boyd also sensed some opportunism among those calling for Sterling's ouster.




to speak out before the decision, yet agreed with it afterwards. Cuban said it was based only on the audiotape and not Sterling's history, and  tweeted that he agreed with the decision "100%."


He may not go quietly after getting banned for racist thoughts.


It's too soon to know whether Silver's sweeping ruling will return  sponsors to the Clippers and the NBA, but the Clippers' long-suffering fans in attendance at Tuesday night's game appeared to lose little faith in their players.


Team President Andy Roeser has been a loyal Sterling employee for many years, while Coach Doc Rivers (pictured L) also has a say in personnel decisions.


Donald Sterling, V. StivianoCAN HIS WIFE OPERATE THE TEAM?  in the first few hours after Silver's landmark decision, the Clippers didn't know whether Sterling's wife, Rochelle, would be eligible to take a leadership role with the team in Donald Sterling's absence. Donald Sterling (pictured left with girlfriend V. Stiviano) wasn't a micromanaging owner, but the 80-year-old real-estate mogul still presided over the team's major decisions, including the hiring and firing of innumerable executives and coaches in the past three decades.




AP PhotoWHO ARE THE POTENTIAL BUYERS? : If the Clippers go on sale, the potential buyers include several of the world's wealthiest men.
<< At Left, Sam Wright protests against  Sterling, outside Staples Center before Game 5 of the Clippers' opening-round NBA basketball playoff series Tuesday (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)





04/30/2014 6:32AM
WBEN Extra: Race Relations.
Please enter your comments below.
04/30/2014 8:10AM
Has your program ever looked at "race relations" when a group of "Afican Americans" beat down a white man or woman? Or when a minority makes racist, inflamatory comments? I doubt it - too taboo - so instead of always focusing on these "hot button" issues and discussing "race relations" from the minorities point of view - try talking to some Americans who are caucasian that have experienced violence at the hands of minorities to get their point of view regarding "race relations" - these so called "race relations" go both ways - have a great day :)
04/30/2014 8:36AM
Which political party is actively fighting to disenfranchise minorities?
04/30/2014 8:38AM
Is it really fair that we tape racists in private or Sarah Palin in public?
04/30/2014 8:42AM
Question for Tim Wenger
Re racism. Is your beloved figurehead Limbaugh part of the problem or part of the solution? Either you can answer that question honestly or you can lie, lie, lie. We already know which choice you'll make.
04/30/2014 9:10AM
One sided opinions regarding racism.
Every time in these situations where there has been a public act of racism against blacks in some way, certain black activists rise to the occasion, and air the proverbial "We just aren't there yet as a society , and there are more Sterlings out there", oh really? How about the local and national N.A.A.C.P. address the black racists and comments made about whites, whether it happens to be a innocent white teen brutally beaten in Buffalo for having a black girlfriend years ago. The black mayor and police commisioner wouldnt even list the crime a "hate crime", even though there was clear evidence to support it.The Al Sharptons, and even SnoopDog, recently with his racist comments and cursing the "white redneck" has to be addressed as well... These people are no different than the ones they themselves are holding accountable. Pridgens comment about internet racism today didn't touch on the blacks calling whites "crackers", and other comments made against whites. Seems that the black community doesnt hold there own to the same standards they do the white community. You also have to "clean up your own act" if you want people to hear your message, and that is a "Two Way Street" everyone.
04/30/2014 4:55PM
Say what?
What happened to free speech? Where is the ACLU; they worked for (neo)nazis in the 70s.
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