Critical Race Theory Project

1. The Connection: CRT and Forty Million Dollar Slaves By: Stephen Gibson

2. What is Critical Race Theory? • Critical race theory started in the 1970s – the advances of the civil rights era of the 1960s had stalled and were rolled back • Critical Race Theory can be used to address experiences of racism in everyday life • especially of those of color and other underrepresented groups. • Critical race theory questions the very foundations!

3. What do critical race theorists believe? • Racism is ordinary! • Common everyday experience of most people of color in this country • Social construction thesis- races are products of social thoughts and relation • Our system of white over color have damaging effects, both to the mind and body, for the dominant group basically is difficult to acknowledged

4. CRT as a Tool of Analysis: • Permance of racism • Interest convergence • White Privilege/ Property Rights of Whiteness • Colorblind Racism • Intersectionality • Myth of Meritocracy • Counter storytelling

5. “This book seeks to tell the story of the rise and fall of the black athlete, but also to point the way toward redemption. It will seek to this exciting rich epic story with honesty and respect for its complexities, but it will also be driven by a sense of purpose. To find in that history lessons that will help illuminate the still darkened path to real power for the black athlete.” W.C. Rhoden • Rhoden was born in 1950 in Chicago, Illinois • Student-athlete atMorgan State University from 1968 to 1973 • In his career:  Afro-American Times, the Baltimore Sun, andEbony • In 1983, Rhoden joined the New York Times staff as a sports columnist • In 2006, he published his first book • Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete- an original and perceptive analysis of the racist history and current reality of professional sports in the United States

6. Main Issues • Jockey Syndrome • Changing of the rules when there is a challenge to white supremacy • White owners refuse to hire black jockeys • Formations of the Jockey Club • Major landmarks took outside of the US! • Tom Molineaux fought for the boxing championship in England • Jack Johnson won the championship in Australia • Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in Canada • This was proof of America’s racist attitudes to the emergence of blacks in sports

7. Integration more bad than good! • Jackie Robinson integrated baseball in 1947 the following year the Negro League fell apart! • Black professional football organizations fell as well when the NFL integrated • Whites owners started to prosper off of black talent again, the had all black owners (Negro League and Black Professional football organizations) had basically disappeared

8. Examples of CRT • Tom Molineaux Prize Fighter • Permanence of racism • Isaac Murphy  Black Jockey • Interest Convergence • Major Taylor  Cycling • Interest convergence • Arthur John “Jack” Johnson  1st African-American heavy weight champion • Counter story telling • Moses Fleetwood Walker  Baseball Player • Myth of Meritocracy • White Privilege/ Property Rights of Whiteness

9. Implications • This book critiques African American athletes from the beginning of gaining their fame the way to a better life through sports • Slave Plantation vs Slave Plantation; Against other slaves or white competitors • Entertainment of the slave owner • Making their slave owners money • To gaining respect and wealth in their own right • The author suggest that even now African American athletes talents are still slaves to white owners that have put major cooperation (NFL, MLB, NBA, etc…) in place to gaining profit!

10. References • Delgado, Richard, Jean Stefancic, and Angela P. Harris. Critical Race Theory: An Introduction. New York: New York UP, 2017. Print. • Rhoden, William C. $40 Million Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete. New York: Crown, 2006. Print.