Jackson State University | Manhood, Race, and Culture

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Deion Sanders will accept an offer from the University of Colorado – Boulder to become its next head football coach. As mentioned in this space days ago, the rise of Jackson State University (JSU) Deion Sanders as a viable head football coach has been a riveting story filled with storylines revolving around various racial matters. The alluded conversation pieces extended beyond inequitable funding of HBCUs to the impoverished state of Jackson, Mississippi.

Considering his penchant for grabbing headlines, it is unsurprising that “Coach Prime” would be the conduit for such discussions.

Few are surprised to see Sanders exit JSU in favor of the University of Colorado – Boulder. Most people postulate that this moment is not only inevitable but also career advancement. Those possessing the latter belief are the type of Negroes who maintain that “the white man’s ice is colder.” Although such people are far from rare within Black America, fortunately, their dour perspective fails to encompass the entirety of Black thought. Thousands of Black educators and coaches have displayed a socially responsible individualism that allows them to aid the race while advancing professionally.

No reasonable-minded successful Black person fails to understand that they stand on the shoulders of previous generations. In Langston Hughes’ classic Mother to Son poem, the unnamed mother reflects the rough road that prior generations traveled and their hopes for those to come.

Well, son, I’ll tell you:

Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

But all the time

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

So boy, don’t you turn back.

Langston Hughes (1922)

I do not doubt that Deion Sanders realizes that he, like the rest of us, stands on the shoulders of others. Unfortunately, this knowledge fails to order his steps as it has notable race men of yesteryear. To the chagrin of many, the moment a “better” opportunity arises, Coach Prime is exiting JSU for what he believes are the manicured green pastures of a predominantly white institution. Make no mistake; the green in “greener pastures” is money.

Of course, Deion Sanders’ exit will be a talking point for Black America, particularly sports enthusiasts and those associated with HBCUs, for a few news cycles. Another occurrence that has nothing to do with the future of Black America will replace this matter. Black America will lose the opportunity for a substantive discussion regarding socially responsible individualism.

Black America mustn’t get bogged down because Deion Sanders is leaving JSU and addressing more important matters such as taking control of HBCUs in every imaginable way.

Now, what does taking complete control of HBCUs resemble?

Taking control of HBCUs requires alums and the rest of Black America to prioritize becoming involved in every way possible with what should be centers of Black learning. It should be Black America that dictates the curriculum that our students engage and it must be Black dollars that bolster these institutions to the point that no program, goal, or achievement is considered impossible. Principles of socially responsible individualism must guide Blacks to send a monthly donation to their chosen HBCU as if it were a bill.

Such ACTION is much-needed and genuinely more critical than Deion “Prime Time” Sanders leaving JSU for the lily-white University of Colorado-Boulder. Only through socially responsible individualism can we bolster HBCUs to the point that they are on equal footing with other institutions and capable of guiding a glorious future for coming generations of Black America.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

©Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2022

Please remember to subscribe to the Manhood, Race, and Culture YouTube Channel.

You can contact me at ManhoodRaceCulture@gmail.com with ideas and issues you would like to address.

During my twenty-year tenure as a Professor at an HBCU, I learned that there are principally two types of people serving students in educational institutions whose origins grew from the impossible dreams for education amongst the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans. The two types of people I refer to are as follows.

Those who consider the HBCU a stepping-stone until something “better” comes along.
Those educators and mentors consider the HBCU the ultimate destination.

Of course, the catalyst to my thoughts is the recent verification that the University of Colorado Boulder has offered their head football coach position to NFL Hall of Famer and current Jackson State University head coach Deion Sanders.

When one considers Jackson State’s meteoric success during the past two years, 22-2 win/loss mark during that period, most would say that it is reasonable and deserved that “Neon” Deion “Prime Time” Sanders would ascend to a Power 5 school. Such people fail to understand the importance of healthy, thriving HBCUs to uplift Black America and the nation. For those that understand the above, the opportunity to serve at an HBCU for any length of time, let alone the honor of serving for one’s entire career, is an educator’s highest honor. HBCUs provide Black educators an opportunity to extend the grand tradition of Black education by impacting the minds of the next generation of American thinkers, scholars, and leaders who happen to be Black. Trust me when I say that such individuals serve at HBCUs by choice, not an inability to jettison to more lucrative and notable places.

Examination of Deion Sanders’ presence and voluminous multi-faceted contributions must occur within the proper context. The impact that I allude to extends further than the gridiron. In his relatively brief time at Jackson State, Coach Prime has served as an advocate and influencer for the Jackson State University (JSU)community and the city by calling attention to long-neglected issues ranging from inequitable distribution of funds to HBCUs such as JSU and egregious problems such as the absence of clean drinking water within the overwhelmingly Black city.

America’s history of racism, discrimination, and prejudice serves as the backdrop of every issue impacting Black America. How could it not? Belief in white superiority is so ingrained within this nation that many Blacks behave as if their affiliation with a predominantly white institution/business/university trumps anything Black America offers. Unbeknownst to such Blacks possessing such a dour view of their origins, their worldview serves as a major portion to the answer to why “Black folks can’t seem to get it together.”

So, as many await Deion Sanders’s decision, many affiliated with HBCUs will view this moment seeking to garner insight into an age-old question of “do Black people still think that the white man’s ice is colder.” A significant segment of Black America still prefers predominantly white institutions to HBCUs. If Deion Sanders chooses to exit JSU for the lily-white University of Colorado, it will be another psychological blow to politically astute Blacks for many reasons.

Even Omar Little, a character on The Wire, told us that a man must have a code. Hopefully, Deion Sanders will prove that some things are more important than “ascending to a Power 5 conference” and pursuing athletic accomplishments that ultimately mean nothing in this battle to liberate Black America.

The choice is his.

James Thomas Jones III, Ph.D.

Please remember to subscribe to the Manhood, Race, and Culture YouTube Channel.

You can always contact me at ManhoodRaceCulture@gmail.com with ideas and issues that you would like to have addressed.

Committed to investigating, examining, and representing the African-American male, men, and manhood by offering commentary regarding the status of Black Men and Black Manhood as it relates to African-American Manhood, Race, Class, Politics, and Culture from an educated and authentic African-American perspective aimed at improving the plight of African-American men and African-American Manhood in regards to Politics, Culture, Education, and Social Matters.

Manhood, Race, and Culture

Tag Archives: Jackson State University

How Black America Must React to Deion Sanders Exit From Jackson State University

Like this:

The Choice Is His: Should Deion Sanders Remain at Jackson State University?

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: