Blacks Still Unwelcome On (and Off) the Green

People all over the nation mourn the recent loss of Tiger Woods’ father, Earl Woods. The patriarch of the Woods family, Mr. Woods left a lasting legacy for his son, a golf player who has opened some doors for people of color in a historically White-dominated, exclusive sport. Others, like Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson, paved the way for Tiger to make his mark in golfing history.

But, unfortunately, there are racial barriers that have yet to be broken. Recent questions stemming from the appointment of the first Black president of the Eastern Section of the United States Tennis Association lead us to believe that racism is alive and well in the wide world of golf.
In a narrow election, Dale G. Caldwell, a 21-year golf veteran and nationally-ranked 40-and-over player, won a position previously held only by Whites. Now, his election is being challenged by a White tennis instructor from Albany, N.Y., the closest contender for the top spot, whose claims of miscounted votes and possible fraud are eerily reminiscent of allegations of voter fraud in recent presidential elections.

Though the tennis association has reportedly spent millions of dollars on outreach to people of color to promote diversity in its membership, Caldwell did numerous “anonymous” emails critiques with racial comments.

It seems that there is a message here that Blacks, or any people of color for that matter, while tolerated perhaps on the putting green, certainly shouldn’t expect to have the red carpet rolled out if and when they decide to hold a prominent position within highly-selective and exclusive, country club-style golf organizations; a distressing reminder of a time when Black people were allowed in back doors to cook and clean, but not allowed to mingle with the guests or sit in the front of the bus.

Columbus Discovered America, And Other Myths

It seems that U.S. history is colored with instances where we “Americans” like to take credit for something we didn’t do FIRST. For example, Columbus Day is still celebrated as a holiday although we all know Christopher Columbus did not discover America—how can someone discover a continent that was already inhabited?

This notoriously false claim-to-fame is reminiscent of another, more recent attempt by our great nation to calls dibs on something that was never ours to begin with—the U.S. national anthem. It seems that several Senators are piping mad that “The Star Spangled Banner” has been translated into Spanish. Once again, we’re a day late and dollar short, acting as if we discovered “The Star Spangled Banner” and its history begins and ends with us. Meanwhile, indisputable data shows us that we have no basis for our righteous indignation:

1. The Library of Congress has on its website a Spanish-language version of the song prepared in 1919 by the U.S. Department of Education, 12 years before we adopted the English version as our official anthem.
2. The U.S. State Department website has four separate Spanish versions of the national anthem and it links to another website that includes several German versions of the song. They do this so U.S. embassies can use the translations in ceremonies so guests understand what is being sung.

Obviously, the Senators in question failed to check with their own government agencies regarding the matter before spouting off about the issue. Yet, we can sympathize with their confusion to the extent that their Commander in Chief chose to vocalize his unfounded objections in a recent BBC News Article.

ABC news reported that the Senators said the anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance should always be recited or sung in English because “what binds Americans together is not race, ancestry or origin, but a common language—English.” If we follow this misguided logic, then we are similarly “bound” with those in the UK or the Caribbean. Besides, did we miss the memo establishing English as the official U.S. language?

Translating the anthem into Spanish serves the same purpose as restaurant menus, automated telephone recordings, assembly directions, and signs, which are all now available in Spanish—accessibility and shared understanding. In a country where no group is indigenous to the area (except perhaps Native Americans who were here FIRST) it would behoove us to put our customs, our traditions, and certainly our national anthem, in a format that can be understood by everyone. If the anthem was presented in Braille, no one would be saying a word. What’s the difference?

Arguing for a Senate resolution calling for all statements of national unity to be sung or read in English, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) injected his opinion: “… translating our national anthem will actually have the effect of dividing us. It adds to the celebration of multiculturalism in our society which has eroded our understanding of our common American culture.” So, now multiculturalism is divisive??

Sen. Alexander, it is time you faced the facts: First, the very definition of the word multiculturalism (from the Latin “multus,” meaning much or many) is giving equal attention or representation to the cultural needs and contributions of all the groups in a society. Second, remaking the “Star Spangled Banner” is just another in a long line of remakes for the song. The melody was taken from “To Anacreon in Heaven,” the official song of the Anacreontic Society, a club of amateur musicians in London who gathered to promote an interest in music. The same melody was used as a Betelgeusean death anthem in the BBC production of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

So, Senators, enough of your pious proclamations about preserving the sanctity of the anthem, it’s time to destroy our Columbus-mentality that our way is the only way, our language is the only language, and our history is the only history that matters. Let’s stop trying to claim first prize when we’re really the runners up and accept that there is no common American culture—we are a fabric interwoven with the cultures of many American immigrants.