He humbly told me this afternoon in thanking me for my Tucson Portrait Project blog that he had been in the Arizona Daily Star newspaper on Sunday. I remembered reading the front page article so I quickly checked the hard copy and realized that the Ernie McCray who had been commenting on our TC blogs for months, was the same man who was honored at McKale Center on February 13, for being the Wildcat basketball player who scored a record 46 points in one game against Los Angeles State, back on 2/6/1960. He still holds the record for the most points scored in any Wildcat game.

And these are his words to me that he was honored “just for scoring a bunch of points in a basketball game on a magical day close to the middle of the last Century. I must be old (smile).” Wow, just a bunch of 46 points.

But the story goes on to say that Ernie could not join his team for dinner at a restaurant later as he knew that he would not be served. Yes, racism existed back then against Black Americans here in the Old Pueblo. But Ernie is not bitter or angry according to the article.

Read more about Ernie, who is now 71 years old and a resident of San Diego, in the Star article (click here). He went on to get his Masters Degree from U of A as well and overcame the racism he had experienced along his life.

Ernie McCray receiving standing ovation at McKale Center (courtesy of Ernie)

Congratulations Ernie for your record and for your loyalty to the Wildcats. I am pleased that while here last weekend you admired the Dia de Los Muertos art mural that “Artistic Tucson” blogged about at Speedway/Stone, and that you enjoyed seeing our faces immortalized on the tile portrait project under the 4th Avenue Underpass.

I have enjoyed your astute and kind comments over the months, and am happy for your recent honor. I used to play basketball with friends in my younger days and I know that what you did was a big deal, not just a “bunch of points”. Congratulations again from us here at the Tucson Citizen.

For more information about Ernie, see his website/blogsite OB Rag: http://obrag.org/

The University of Arizona College of Humanities inaugurates a new lecture series “Unsettling Certainties”, inviting the community “to explore timely and often disconcerting issues with College of Humanities scholars.”

Inaugural Lecture on Monday, November 9 at 6 p.m.:

“Why Does Racism Persist in the United States of America?”

These lectures will take place in the Dorothy Rubel Room of the lovely, new UA Poetry Center’s Helen S. Schaefer Building, 1508 E. Helen Street (SE corner of Vine and Helen, north of Speedway,west of Cherry.)

As moderator, Assistant Professor of English Carlos Gallego will lead a discussion with a panel of College of Humanities scholars from various departments and will engage the community in dialogue.

According to Dr. Gallego, “The United States is a model for democratic governance, civil liberties and social justice. The 1964 Civil Rights Act exemplifies social progress. The election by popular vote of an African American president is an affirmation that we have, in fact, progressed. And yet, racism persists in the United States. Why?

Some of the questions to be explored on November 9 include:
• Do we create race or do we discover it?
• Do racially charged and racially rooted language-trends affect our perception of “racialized relations”?
• Do representations of racial progress propel social justice, or do they disguise persistent prejudice?
• Is a non-racist community even possible?”

I asked a male African American friend of mine if racism persisted in the U.S. and he said unequivocably “yes.” Go to this lecture and maybe find out why. For further infomation call the College of Humanities at (520) 621-9294, or log onto www.coh.arizona.edu.

Free parking available after 5:00pm in all Zone 1 surface lots surrounding the building, on the street, and at cost in the Highland Avenue Garage.

Can we truly unlearn racism if we were taught that as young people? It seems common knowledge that we human beings are taught the differences between ourselves and another culture, tribe, group, community, nationality, etc. This is our identity. And sometimes instead of appreciating and embracing that other person or group, we could be taught even as very young children, to hate “the Other” based on appearances, without any rational reason.

The YWCA of Tucson has an excellent Racial Justice project, including ongoing Time to Talk forums, Understanding Racism Community Education, Racial Justice Youth programs, and an Anti-racism and Diversity Resource Directory. They have been conducting these workshops in Tucson for decades, in their attempt to carry on their mission: “to create opportunities for women’s growth, leadership and power, and the elimination of racism wherever it exists.”

The Unversity of Arizona has Social Justice Programs which “supports, advocates, and educates the University of Arizona and greater community in the areas of inequality and social injustices found in our society. We look at what we can learn from the distribution of power, privilege, and oppression. Our mission is to create a socially conscious campus.” They are sponsoring several upcoming films and workshops on rights for LGBT, women, disabled, racial minorities, etc. A workshop on Power & Privilege is being held today from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in room 404 of the Student Union.

Growing up in multi-cultural Hawaii, I was not immune from racism/hatred directed against some white people (the Hawaiian term is “haoles”), or even the single bi-racial black/white family in our rural sugar plantation community. I heard the heckling and animosity directed against these individuals, and I knew in my heart that it was wrong.

My own mother (second generation Japanese American, a U.S. Citizen born in the Trust Territory of Hawaii) instructed me as a teenager not to ever date Black men. And I heard her still say that same statement to my son when he attained his dating age as well. She unfortunately must have learned this prejudice from her parents who had immigrated from Japan.

I skeptically listened to my mother out of filial respect for her, but when I went to college I met more people of all races at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It was there that I realized that my mother was wrong to make such a blanket statement against blacks.

I unlearned the racism that was taught to me as I realized when I grew into adulthood that there were no reasons to hate someone based on their skin color, or any other criteria for that matter (i. e. gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation). I think that people can be taught to realize the prejudices they have learned as they grew up, and then consciously undo this teaching and embrace diversity.

These two programs at the YWCA and the U of A are there to enable social change to occur in our community, even after decades of racism.

And thanks to “Blogbits”- Steven Smith for his 9/1/09 blog “No One is Born Prejudiced“