By Kenneth Cooper
Remember that old school jam that went, “my long hair just can’t cover up my redneck?” No? Yes? Maybe? Well, neither can the Confederate flag these days, at least at NASCAR events. Who would’ve thunk it, NASCAR taking a stand for black people, banning the flag at all of its races. Not me. But actually, NASCAR has been apparently taking a stand and trying to distance itself from its good ol’ boy heritage for years. In the early 2000s it started the Drive for Diversity program to make the sport more inclusive.
In 2015, NASCAR asked fans not to show up with Confederate flags, and before outright banning the flag last week, its sole black driver, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, announced he’d be debuting a Black Lives Matter car at his next race. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace is black. And he drives for NASCAR. Again, who would’ve thunk it.
Something is different this time around. Athletes all over are saying enough, breathing their outrage in not just words, but action, after George Floyd, another black man, was killed by police. Typically, the response would be a few tweets, a few thoughts, a few prayers, maybe a gesture of solidarity before or after the Anthem is played at the game. Floyd’s killing, though, has brought out something more impassioned and sustained.
Locally, with the backing of Gayle Benson, three players from the Saints and Pelicans (Demario Davis, Lonzo Ball, and J.J. Redick) have formed the Social Justice Leadership Coalition, a coalition that will expand on the social justice work Davis and Benson have been doing behind the scenes. They support things like the public defender’s office, prison reform, and building a better relationship between citizens and the police. Alvin Kamara has formed a group with LeBron James called More Than A Vote. The goal is not just to get more black people registered to vote and actually casting one at the polls, but it’s also to educate them on the choices that’ll be on the ballot, a way of helping them become more informed about their choices and more responsible when they do vote.
Nationally, the NFL, under pressure from its Players Coalition, announced that it will up its social justice contribution from $100 million to $250 million over 10 years. 50% of that money is initially set to be split between the United Negro College Fund and the Dream Corps, an organization focused on criminal justice and environmental concerns. The other 50% would go to the Players Coalition for grass roots projects in their cities.
After the Drew Brees debacle, the NFL has also changed its stance on kneeling. Two years ago, the league banned kneeling during the Anthem at its games, even threatening to fine teams that couldn’t or wouldn’t keep their players in check. Now, it’s basically giving out knee pads. In a statement last week, Roger Goodell summed up the NFL’s new stance in three words: “We were wrong.”
Could it be that Bob Dylan was right, that The Times They Are A Changin’? Finally? If so, it’s only taken 56 years. He wrote the song in 1964 back when black people were getting their skulls cracked open and sprayed with water hoses for peacefully protesting or demanding that they be granted the civil right to do simple things like eat at a lunch counter or vote. These days, protesters are met with tear gas and rubber bullets, a sign of escalating violence and discontent by the police and protesters. But something seems different this time around. It seems like enough people have finally had just that – enough. Instead of sitting around hoping things will change or wishing for the best, sports stars, and others with money and influence are linking together and doing what many hoped they’d always do – play their part.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu