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Poor White Boys Need Diversity Too
1/23/08: SOZ Studios, MI - By Dennis Michelsen "DMIC" (RaceTalkRadio.com)
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." - Martin Luther King Jr. August 28, 1963
Monday on the holiday named after the great leader Martin Luther King Jr. NASCAR announced its 2008 Drive for Diversity roster. The goal of having NASCAR's driver ranks look more like the population of the United States is a great concept. The execution of such a strategy is a lot harder. On that morning of the "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, black citizens in the southern United States had to suffer the indignity of laws that were demeaning and degrading. Separate but equal applied to anyone with any black ancestry in his or her bloodlines. Forty-four years later and we still have not learned the lesson that Dr. King tried to teach us! But now those same rules can mean an opportunity to become the next NASCAR star instead of racing street stocks at your hometown track!
The One-Drop Rule (1)
The joy of living in the United States is that we are one big melting pot! Very few people can claim a racially pure ancestry and quite frankly who cares? The same year of King's speech NASCAR was afraid to let a black driver named Wendell Scott win a race at Jacksonville, Florida for fear of him kissing a white beauty queen in Victory Lane. The infamous "One-Drop Rule" was still being practiced! The win was given to Buck Baker that day and then reversed when a two lap "Scoring Error" was miraculously discovered. Mr. Scott was unable to eat at the same lunch counters as his fellow competitors or stay in the same hotels. Having just one drop of black blood in your ancestry meant the difference in your social status and therefore your life! The absurdity of such a rule and its inconsistent application among the races was obvious to all but the most bigoted.
One-Drop Favorable in NASCAR Now
Isn't NASCAR applying that same bigoted logic in reverse nowadays with their Drive to Diversity classifications? How much of a certain race do you have to be to qualify? Would a sex change operation qualify you as a female candidate? Why are some nationalities allowed (Syrian) and others are excluded? Perhaps it can be argued that NASCAR has not had anything but white-male drivers for so long that drastic steps have to be taken! If NASCAR doesn't show they are doing something then their goal of growing customers from different backgrounds will surely fail! But just as discrimination back in the day to use a water fountain was bad policy in 1963 that doesn't mean discrimination in NASCAR in the name of diversity in 2008 is any better. (Obviously the social injustices faced by blacks in 1963 were far worse than white drivers getting overlooked for racing opportunities in 2008)
An Idea That Works (2)
Several years ago when Operation Push was making noise to get "donations" from NASCAR I joked that blackmail is such an ugly word. Instead of "donating" to a political group such as Jesse Jackson's Operation Push I suggested support of the Urban Youth Racing School instead. Headquartered in Philadelphia this program has grown to two locations and many graduates since then! There is not a requirement of being a certain race to attend the school; it is open to all inner-city youths. This is a plan that works basing participation on need rather than an ethnicity test! Do you want to encourage youths without a chance financially to participate in the sport? Then build more of these programs and expand their reach. It won't be cheap but the results will be amazing and it will be based on need not some litmus test of belonging to the right group.
My Racing Dream
Imagine a driver development series based on the concepts of IROC. Put twenty drivers in equally prepared cars through a series of 10 races to determine which drivers deserve a shot at the next level. Using a spec-type late model on some of the Nation's great short tracks will be a great test. It won't be about who has the best equipment but rather who is the best driver! It won't be cheap but the same corporate support that makes the Drive for Diversity possible is a great start! Current NASCAR drivers will enthusiastically support this plan. Drivers qualify for this summer racing experience based on financial need. A panel chooses the drivers. The group chosen will look a lot like the fan base of NASCAR! "Racing used to be a bunch of guys that could fix up a car and then go race," said ARCA legend Darrell Basham. "Now it's a bunch of rich guys and me, one last poor guy!" My racing dream is to offer drivers of all ethnic backgrounds a chance at the sport they love. There will be no litmus test based on race just financial need! Dr. King Jr would be proud.
(1)
The "One-Drop Rule" stated that if someone had one drop of sub-Saharan blood in their ancestry they were considered non-white. This led to discrimination in many states based on the old "Jim Crow" laws. This was not an exclusive phenomenon to the United States. This same method was used to determine class in South Africa back in the days of apartheid.
(2)
Urban Youth Racing School was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and recently added a branch in Washington DC. "Motorsports is the magnet. Education is the compass," said founder Anthony Martin. Graduates of this program have worked as interns with race teams and at NASCAR events.
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