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Why is it okay to have a Black Basketball Tournament?
If I want to join a team and I’m white, would I be allowed? What would happen if someone organized a White Hockey League or an Asian Baseball Tournament?
Aren’t we supposed to be past this in 2008?
This article appears in May 22-28, 2008.
18 Comments
actually, this was a tournament that is over 30 years old. This dates back to when there was a lot of racial problems in this area. Personally, i would have no problems with tournaments like this. They do have Italian only hockey tournaments in Toronto. All greek events. Events that exclude blacks (unless you are from them nations). There are things that are done for pride and to celebrate heritage. This is one of them. If you are wanting to create a tournament strictly based on the color of your skin, help youself. The message is unity among those that are black as generally, we all have fairly recent (historically) ties to africa. Oh, look up the Croatian Club and The greek club, and ask how many black, asian or hispanic members they have.
You should. I’m curious to see what the reaction would be. I’d say 75% would be labeled as a racial thing. Do such clubs and tournaments turn away people based on who they are? That’s prime racism if so.
Pretty sure the Greek Club will let you in if you really want to hang out.
if you really want to break it down, it is no differnt than not being allowed to have a man join a women’s gym, or my 6’4 self being allowed to participate in midget sports. Sometimes we get excluded from things. It happens. If it is done for the purpose of exclusion, then it is sorta lame. However, this is tournament isnt about exclusion, its about a specific race of people wanting to gather to play ball. Are you just as upset about other things you arent usually welcome at, like a dance for heavy people, if you are a skinny one? Like a convention for really tall people and you are 5’3? Like a seniors dance where you have to be 65 to get in, but you are only 23?Really, its making a big thing outta nothing. It isnt like they are getting together to preach a message of hate or anything. It is a message of unity and strength that they try to promote.
miles, im sure they would have events that i cannot partake in (but spectate at) because i am not of Greek Origin
Travis, are you deliberately misinterpreting my comments? I have a cultural heritage that I am proud of. It’s Acadian. Acadian people tend to be white. My best friend is of Irish descent. She’s proud of that cultural heritage. Irish people, to the best of my knowledge, are generally white. Her husband is of African heritage, a heritage of which he is also proud. Africans are usually black. The point is that the CULTURE is what’s important, not the skin colour. If you make it exclusively about the skin colour, then it becomes racist.
African isn’t a heritage, it’s a country. I had it explained to me in great detail by a good friend from Kenya, how the culture is completely dependent on what region/ tribe they’re from. And it’s completely different again if they’re from the the Caribbeans. Even in the States, it depends where they are from. Which is why I don’t think the Afrocentric schools will work. But that’s sort of a completely different topic.Having said that, I don’t really see the big deal with the tourney. It’s a positive thing meant for a group of people to have some fun. No harm in that.
I agree with you Miranda, it is okay to be proud of your culture, but it is racist to group people by their colour, and that is exactly what “Black to Business” does.But no one accuses them of being racist, why???Im sure if there was an organisation called ” White to business” it would be.I a
oop, I meant Africa is a continent.
Pete, I see your what you mean about the finer points of cultural identity, and it makes perfect sense. But I do think an argument can be made for Canadian and American people of African heritage having a common culture due to the long history of oppression they all share. Just as the culture of the Malaseet is very different from the culture of the Haida, for example. They still share a culture at a more general level, that unites them as First Nations people. The point I’ve been trying to make is that I don’t think white people of, say, Slavic heritage and white people of Hispanic heritage can be said to share a culture on any meaningful level. That’s why the idea of “white pride” doesn’t wash for me.
I get what you mean Miranda, I think white pride is bullshit, but I think that black, like white, asian or latino, is a skin colour, and not a cultural identity. I guess it does get used interchangeably a lot for NA blacks, but with immigration being what it is, there is a growing number of immigrants from Africa, Caribbeans, or wherever, so it can get a bit confused. I guess it’s mostly the terminology I take issues with, as opposed to stuff like anything like the Bball tourney.Anyway, whatever. Should be some good b-ball.
Not that I have a problem with a Black Tournament, or any other kind of culturally specific event. But I’m curious: How black do you have to be to participate? What if you don’t look black? Do you have to prove your blackness? I know a few people with a black grandparent who don’t look black at all. I even know a couple of people with a black parent who’s blackness might be challenged based on their appearance. So I’m just wondering, what are the criteria? Can anyone who self identifies as black participate? On a more serious note, I think the reason you probably wouldn’t get away with a “white only” event is that there’s no cultural basis for it. Black people in North America share a common culture. It’s not just about skin tone. It’s about a shared experience of struggle and oppression. It’s about shared history. White people have no such shared culture. Specific groups of white people have such a connection to each other, but not white people as a whole. The only thing that ties all white people together is the fact that they are not “coloured”. So any “white only” event is racist by definition.
My problem with this “black” basketball is the problem I have with the “black to business” inicitive, If it was “White to business” it would be more openly percieved as racism.Can you imagine a referencing white people being successful and saying phrases like “support of the White community”. it seems that the phrase White Pride is racist, so why is black,yellow,or brown pride different????
Travis, I answered that question. “White pride” is racist because it has no cultural context. It is exclusively about skin colour. The only thing white people in general have in common is the fact that they are not “coloured”. The other groups you mention have a common culture. I think the culture is primary, the skin colour that tends to go with a given culture is secondary.
“The only thing white people in general have in common is the fact that they are not “coloured”.”You’re really going to say that?!!!! So your saying that because I am white I have nothing to be proud of ??No Culture???oh no sorry my mistake, youre saying that all that white people do have to be proud of is that fact that we are not black,brown,yellow????So im gonna gather up a bunch of white people and show how proud we are that we arent black/brown /yellow!!!!!!!!that doesnt sound racist at all does it???
Well there’s no such thing as a “White” community. Every single “White” (Culture less as Miranda suggests) person is from European background, be it German, Italian, English, Swedish and so on. Europe is full of culture, and being white doesn’t make you without any culture. I’m not white myself but for fairness, i wouldn’t want to be treated any different than a white person. I want to be treated just like everyone else. I agree with some of the comments regarding how certain races are allowed to have pride days and yada yada yada, but the minute any white person, given that they’re not doing it for the purpose of demeaning or having racial hatred towards anyone else, has a pride day, saying i’m proud being a white Canadian, they get labeled as a racist. No one is saying any other race is worthless. Honestly though, people of race here in NS have better chances than a lot of people. Regarding the original comment, well they’re already asking for segregated schools, so really, who’s being unreasonable here! By the way, go to the Greek fest in June and see if you’ll be kicked out or not. I bet you won’t be. You can even participate if you choose to. I’ve participated in various multi-cultural events. I’ve even witnessed white canadians participate in such events representing the culture of other countries, hence they have the chance to participate and not being denied entry. The question is, can anyone participate in the PBBA?
Also to point out what Pete and Miranda are saying, I don’t think North american blacks have any different culture than any other north american person. To me i find they’re all the same, I don’t see anything different between a black north american or a white north american, aside from the fact that some dislike each other, but really the culture is the same. I know several black families, and every time i visit, they just eat the same food anyone else eats, the same drinks, they don’t cook anything african, in fact they house nothing related to africa. If you associate with various african people, you’ll notice a huge difference as Pete pointed out. I know black people went through a lot here in north america, but really, who hasn’t in their life time. I’m palestinian and i still don’t have a home. At least you have a country here, I have none. That doesn’t mean i want to be treated different or will hold a grudge against everyone that’s from a european descent because of it. Nor will I hold an all out palestinian league of some sort. We do have a multicultural festival and i think that’s plenty enough to show everyone about culture. Having a black business initiative, segregated school, scholarships for being black, and many other things are a little over board, where everyone else has to work really hard to have such thing. There’s no problem with having such things, but equality dictates that it should be available to everyone and not to people based on their color!
Those programs are what has helped to equalize what was historically a very unbalanced system. We may be approaching a time when such programs are no longer needed to help equalize things, but I am not convinced that time is here yet. Not all people with “black” skin are going to identify with “Black” culture, but there are enough who do to warrant special events to celebrate and promote their cultural identity.