Abstract
African American athletes have historically used their influential status in professional sports to advocate for justice and equality. The social activism mantel has been passed from pioneering visionaries that include Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Wilma Rudolph, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Today’s new generation of black athletes speaking out against systemic racism and economic, educational, and health disparities include Philadelphia Eagles’ safety Malcolm Jenkins, former San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and former Buffalo Bills’ wide receiver Anquan Boldin. We are in a political era now in the US where these athletes and many of their peers are not going to stay silent, and the polarizing debates regarding the infusion of sports and politics during the Trump era has fueled a compelling social consciousness. This civic engagement has included the controversial no-shows for Super Bowl and NBA championship team photo-ops at the White House to meetings on Capitol Hill that have focused on the strained relationship between minority communities and law enforcement. “Patriotism and African American Athletes” will provide an insightful analysis on what this current movement means to the ongoing national conversation on race, civil rights, and criminal justice reform in America.
Presenters
Jessica A JohnsonSenior Lecturer, English (Lima Campus), The Ohio State University, Ohio, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
African American Athletes
Digital Media
This presenter hasn’t added media.
Request media and follow this presentation.
