As a player, Russell would lead The Boston Celtics to 11 championships in 13 years. He was arguably the first Black Superstar Player in NBA History, and today The NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award is named in honor of his dominance. His dominance and high character views on life were also felt in the field of race relations during the turbulent 1960's. We need more of our youth to know about The Great Bill Russell. #Salute
Bill Russell was one of the first Black Head Coaches of any major professional sports team. From 1966 to 1969 he wasn't just on the Boston Celtics sidelines either, he was Player/Coach. He had no assistant coaches, it was just Bill Russell doing what he always did best, lead his team to victories. Despite winning Back to Back Championships (in 1968 & 1969), Bill russell is rarely ever mentioned in history as a coach. Furthermore, few recognize the fact that Bill Russell not only operated successfully in spite of the pressures associated with being the first Black Coach in The NBA-but also coaching in the shadow of his legendary coach & mentor Red Auerbach. In his first season, Russell led the Celtics to a 60-21 record but lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in The Eastern Conference (Division) Finals. The next season Russell's coaching & on court play would lead The Boston Celtics to the 1967-1968 NBA Championship, beating Wilt Chamberlin & The Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Russell retired at the end of that season, but would later return for brief coaching stints as head coach/general manager of The Seattle SuperSonics & Head Coach of The Sacramento Kings. As a player, Russell would lead The Boston Celtics to 11 championships in 13 years. He was arguably the first Black Superstar Player in NBA History, and today The NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award is named in honor of his dominance. His dominance and high character views on life were also felt in the field of race relations during the turbulent 1960's. We need more of our youth to know about The Great Bill Russell. #Salute
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In early 1968 The City of Memphis, Tennessee saw a chain of events that would arguably be one of the last massive acts of Civil disobedience & Protest, and ultimately would end with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After suffering through years of working in inhumane & hostile working conditions, Memphis Sanitation workers had become fed up. Workers often complained of deplorable conditions that included a lack of protection from the weather, leaking trash, having to go home with maggots in their clothing, poor pay & the city's refusal to repair or replace poorly functioning trucks. Complaints or requests for improved conditions could get you fired. The tipping point came on February 1st 1968 when Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death while seeking shelter from heavy rain inside the back of a malfunctioning garbage truck. After the city failed to effectively address the roots causes for the tragedy, an estimated 1,300 City Workers would then go on strike. The movement quickly picked up the support of Labor Unions & Student Groups from all over the country. Dr. King, The NAACP & SCLC would ramp up their efforts to support the movement starting in march of that year. A huge protest march was scheduled for March 28th 1968, but would ultimately things go horribly wrong. It is said that roughly 22,000 students skipped school to participate & have their voice heard; but with the late arrival of Dr. King & his entourage, the crowd situation at some point/for some reason escalated into a riot. As a result, the event was cancelled & Dr. King was hurried away to safety. One teenager was killed by Memphis Police, tear gas was shot into the church intended to be used as a safe haven for the would-be protesters, 4,000 National Guard Troops were called in, and martial Law was declared. Acknowledging the reality that large numbers of youth no longer believed in Non-Violent Civil Disobedience, Dr. King considered not returning to Memphis. Ultimately however, Dr. King would return a week later to finish what he had started. On April 4th 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King would be assassinated & more rioting would follow. Next week will speak to the involvement of the U.S. Government in his assassination. Sources: http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_memphis_sanitation_workers_strike_1968/ http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89361277 On the same day that The New York Times issued a report that The U.S. Department of Justice has determined that The Ferguson Police Department is guilty of a pattern of racial abuses that include Excessive Force, Unwarranted Traffic Stops, Petty Citations, Unjustified Searches, Prolonged Imprisonment & other Discriminatory Practices, we observe the 24 Year Anniversary of The Infamous Rodney King Beating. Both were landmark cases that brought attention to the abuse of power that WE so often tried to tell the rest of the world about. Rodney King was beaten, in what may have been the most shocking piece of video ever, by four LAPD Officers on March 3rd 1991. A bystander caught the beating on tape, and the rest is history. Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Stacey Koon would be acquitted in the beating-which several days of rioting. Now today we find ourselves again trying to convince the masses that there's something not quite right about the deaths of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Oscar Grant, Sean Bell & countless others. Relive this moment with us. Remember Rodney King & Fight back against the system. Nothing will change, unless WE make it change. often I tell my kids that we should strive to learn something new Every single day. For me personally, today brought the discovery of Inventor Richard B. Spikes. Largely unknown, Spikes invented and/or patented the Automatic Gear Shift, The Automatic Safety Brake, Automobile Directional Signals, The Continuous Contact Trolley Pole and several other items that we daily use to get from Point a to Point b. Outside the realm of transportation, Richard Spikes is also credited with invented/patenting the Beer Keg Tap, The Multi barrel Machine Gun, The Horizontally-Swinging Barber Chair & bringing at least eight other innovations for the world. Spikes Beer Keg Tap was purchased by The Milwaukee Brewing Company & his Directional Signals picked up for use in the Pierce Arrow. His transmission & Gear-Shifting innovations were used industry wide from the 1930's on. Sadly Richard Spikes began losing his eyesight while working on the Safety Brake in 1962. So to adapt, he then invented a drafting device that would allow other blind engineers to use going forward. Richard B. Spikes died in 1963. We at The Wandering Eyes Blog salute his memory & legacy. Think about him next time you get in the car & shift into motion. Sources: http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/richard-spikes-innovator-industry http://blackinhistory.tumblr.com/post/48079044078/richard-spikes#.VPIM7_nF-gE http://www.google.com/patents/US1889814 Boxing has only seen 23 Undisputed Heavyweight Champions of The World in all of its history-and none since 1999. Floyd Patterson & Muhammad Ali did it multiple times; but NO ONE made an IMPACT like a young Mike Tyson. Having become the first to win the WBA, WBC & IBF Titles Belts in 1987, Tyson scored huge victories over Larry Holmes, Tony Tubbs & Michael Spinks in 1988. One has to place 1989 as his final year of true dominance, and nothing has been seen since that brief period that could even remotely compare. Even though most of his fights were won during the pre-fight staredown, Mike would beat you and then kiss his fallen competitor after knocking you senseless. And many fell victim. Unfortunately for British Boxer Frank Bruno, he came in line for a championship bout before Don King, Robin Givens & the homies drained Iron Mike of his spirit. Even worse, he came back for more a few years later. Enjoy the Carnage from February 25, 1989. |
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