Donald Sterling has been banned from
the NBA for life. It is not really much of a punishment but Mr.
Sterling will not be allowed to attend any NBA games or practices, be
present at any Clippers office or facility, or participate in any
business of player personnel decisions involving the team. Sterling
will also be banned from attending NBA Board of Governors meetings
and participating in any league activity.
This isn't about Mr. Sterling, though.
This is about racism. Sadly, our own president makes the same
argument that has been heard for too many years, "The
United States continues to wrestle with the legacy of race and
slavery and segregation."
When
I moved to the south I was overwhelmed by the racism that I
witnessed. I did not like when people made comments and judged
others based on a person's race. I never taught my children not to
be racist, I just have a zero tolerance policy with them and others. This is not something that I wrestle with, that's just the way
I am. Race doesn't mean anything to me and I am okay with the fact that not everybody agrees with me.
When
the news of Mr. Sterling's controversy came to light I found myself
thinking how upset I would be if my child had been involved. It's sad that one person has the United States in an uproar. I thought a majority agreed with Rodney King's words, “Can
we all get along and stop making it horrible for the older people and
the kids?”
