Regardless of where you stand on the whole Donald Sterling situation. The fact of the matter is that a wrong is a wrong. Now that the smoke is clearing lets take a deep breath and look at the some of the more shocking pieces to this puzzle.
What stood out to me was the fact that the Los Angeles NAACP was scheduled to give Sterling a lifetime achievement award. Really? Before the inexcusable audio of Sterling making blatant racist comments were released he was still an alleged racist. He’s been sued twice by the federal government for allegedly refusing to rent apartments to Blacks and Latinos. He was also sued by former Clippers exec Elgin Baylor for racial discrimination. Somehow for some reason, the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP still saw it fit to give Donald Sterling praise and multiple honors.
In a recent article by financialjuneteenth.com leadership in the black community is being questioned. The Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP is at the top of this list. This organization is lead by Leon Jenkins, a defrocked judge who took bribes, brought dishonor to the bench, and has been banned from practicing law in two states. Now as much as I don’t personally base someone’s character on their past, if it walks like a duck and sounds like a duck. Most likely it is a duck.
Where is the morality in all of this? Is the black community even happy with the outcome of Sterling’s fate? Like all people we tend to voice our opinions when the time is right, but why are we so quiet now? Donald Sterling doesn’t just represent an NBA owner; he represents our doctors, lawyers, teachers, and more. By making a statement with Sterling, we make the same statement that put Mike Vick in jail, landed Chris Brown behind bars, and any other black celebrity that made a mistake and had everything taken from them.
Yet, how do we make that statement? Is the lifetime ban and $2.5 million fine enough? So they make him sell his “plantation” and he walks away with almost a billion dollars. Is that really a loss?
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