Over the past several months, there has been much discussion over the plight of the black male in American society. Each of us has our own opinion.
In 1976, I graduated from Jim Hill High School and was Student Body President. At that time, Jim Hill was approximately 50% white and 50% black. Many of my friends from high school were black and earlier this year, I had the opportunity to watch the Jim Hill Tigers beat Tupelo in the 6A Boys Basketball Championship game. It was the first state championship for Jim Hill since 1963. Needless to say, it was a very exciting event for the Jim Hill Tigers.
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| Photo by Jay Deville Johnson |
This championship team is composed of twenty young black males. These young men made a choice to attend school, to make passing grades and have the necessary behavior in class for them to be able to be a part of this team. They chose to stay after school and practice and follow the rules set forth by their coach, another young 26 year old black male. The Tigers played the game by the rules set forth by the Mississippi High School Activities Association and played the game well.
I have stated all of this to say that there are times when we question certain people based upon their background, race, etc. The Jim Hill Boys Basketball team did everything right. They followed the rules and played as a team, representing themselves, their school and their community in a positive manner.
Often times, the ones who wind up getting the attention from the media and from ourselves, are those who are trouble makers and criminals. Many times, these individuals are black males.
I would ask that we give attention to the Jim Hill Basketball Team. A group of young men, young black males, who followed the rules and have shown that discipline and dedication to a goal pays off. This is a lifelong lesson and hopefully one that they pass on to the next generation.
