It is a joy to watch what W.E.B. Du Bois characterized as the dawning of racial consciousness among my students. Now, I am not saying that it is not until my students enter my class that they become aware of race or racial identity. Such an assertion would be foolish. For many of my students, Introduction to African-American Studies is the first time they have seriously considered race, class, activism, and identity.

During a recent discussion, one of my brilliant students opened the conversation with an interesting quip.

I wonder what things would be like today if we still had leaders like we used to.

I responded in the following manner.

Well, you do have Lebron James commenting on these matters.

A phalanx of students erupted in unison with an overwhelming

“C’mon, Dr. Jones. Lebron? Who is he to be our leader?”

Of course, my rebuttal regarding the absence of suitable leadership for Black America was a facetious quip intended to provoke thought within my young charges.

It would be an understatement to say that I was incredibly proud of my students for raising the pressing issue of what a Black leader should be and ought to do. Are there qualifications to become a spokesperson for Black America? Or is it something that you are anointed by some unidentified source to do?

It appears that there is a correlation found between fame and the rise of Black leaders. Unfortunately for Blacks, the alluded to fame flows from God-given abilities, not study. One needs to look no further than the personas that appear on national newscasts to discuss critical racial matters that take decades of study to comprehend. One’s ability to sing, jump, run, or dunk a ball through a metal hoop has nothing to do with one’s ability to issue productive commentary regarding this nation’s centuries-long racial problems.

This issue of athletes and entertainers serving as spokespersons for the race is nothing new. History dictates that the most reliable path to being a nationally known expert on race is to record a song about possessing a “Wet Ass Pussy” or becoming a notable professional athlete.

It is the history mentioned above that fed my non-response to Charles Barkley’s emergence as a political commentator some years ago. Yes, the same Charles Barkley, who reminded us in a long-forgotten 1993 commercial that he was not a role model.

I am not a role model. I’m not paid to be a role model. I’m paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.

My how things have changed; during the past twenty-five years, we have witnessed sports figures such as Charles Barkley reverse the downplaying of their importance regarding matters that occur beyond the playing-field to pursuing every opportunity to comment on critical political issues. If I did not know any better, somebody could convince me that the path to being a political commentator or cultural critic was notoriety as a professional athlete.

In the wake of the Grand Jury verdict that exonerated Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove for their actions during a no-knock raid of Breonna Taylor’s dwelling, Sir Charles Barkley opined the following in front of millions of viewers.

I don’t think this one was like George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery and things like that. I feel sad that this young lady lost her life…But I am worried to lump all these situations in together.

And I just feel bad that the young lady lost her life. But we do have to take into account that her boyfriend shot at the cops and shot a cop. So, like I say, even though I am really sorry she lost her life, I just don’t think we can put this in the same situation as George Floyd or Ahmaud Arbery.

After hearing Barkley’s commentary, I marveled at how he managed to be so comprehensively wrong. The answer to how he managed this feat is simple, Charles Barkley, much like his athletic peers, has neither qualification nor the abilities to address such pressing matters.

Barkley’s dim-witted assertion that the murder of Breonna Taylor was different from the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery would be laughable if it were not heard by so many around the globe. Make no mistake about it, the insistence of brilliant Black writers such as Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou that words are powerful entities is a lesson that is largely lost on the recent crop of Black political pundits and culture critics who have been booked for appearances by media outlets such as ESPN, Fox, MSNBC, and CNN. Their absence of understanding and ability to form a persuasive argument is a missed opportunity that retards Black advancement.

These unfortunate developments remind me of esteemed historian Dr. John Henrik Clarke’s words. Clarke asserted that outsiders had taken over the Black movement with little genuine interest in Black liberation. According to Dr. Clarke, we now have Hollywood revolutions that are akin to the lights, camera, and action moments commonly found on a blockbuster movie set.

I guess that the Last Poet’s prophecy that “the revolution will not be televised” is proving correct. One needs to look no further than the set of “Inside the NBA” and listen to the commentary of Charles Barkley for confirmation that there is always some Black fool willing to receive a King’s ransom from working against Black interests by talking loud and saying absolutely nothing.

Dr. James Thomas Jones III

© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.