Lessons That Can Be Learned From The Dallas Cowboys Owner’s Response to His Presence In The 1957 Photo of A Crowd of White Students Blocking Black Students From Entering North Little Rock HS

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2022/jerry-jones-black-coaches-nfl/

There are many lessons that can be learn from the current discussion generated by the Washington Post’s article featuring a 1957 photo of Jerry Jones in the crowd of white students blocking black students attempting to enter North Little Rock High School. The following is an attempt to suggest what some might be:

Motive is always an important factor to consider when someone puts information out there for you to read. Was this article an attempt to indoctrinate, educate, inform, explore, or stir discord? I thought the intent of the article was to explore and examine an issue that readers have an interest in and to find potential answers to questions that have alluded the public or not satisfied them. So, I am going to start off by thanking the Washington Post and the authors, David Maraniss and Sally Jenkins for putting forth a timely work of exceptional value. I also want to thank Jerry Jones for being willing to engage the writers in an extended discussion on the focal point of the article, particularly since the writers indicated that out of 32 requests, he was the only owner who was willing to do so. By doing so, he made it possible for readers to develop more insight from the discussion and gave voice to a point of view needed for a balanced consideration of the issue. Way to Go Mr. Jones!

Was this a cheap shot?

Most of the comments generated after the article was published focused on the age of the photo that anchored the story.  Was this a cheap shot at a successful NFL owner who has been able to develop a host of positive relationships with black NFL players since that time? Why was it necessary to go back to a 1957? Good Questions.

When racial disparities clearly exist and well-intentioned people struggle to find answers, it is important not to dismiss their efforts as playing the “race card”. In many such cases, the “race card” turns out to be more accurately described as the “real card.”

 Jerry Jones is to be commended for the innovative and substantive work he has done to develop black coaches despite the results that can be measured on the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff.  There is also much to be praised about the trust he has earned in a long-term relationship with Mr. Will McClay and the rapport he has developed with numerous former black Dallas Cowboys players.

The article sought to examine potential reasons why the NFL has a poor record in hiring black head coaches even though 60-70% of the league’s workforce is black? In working to shed light on the some of the issues, the authors looked to the league’s success in other areas and wondered why it did not translate further into hiring black head coaches. While there are other places to look for answers, this was certainly a logical place for exploration. Jerry Jones is unquestionably a leader amongst the owners, and he owns one of the NFL’s most successful franchises. I doubt Jerry Jones would take kindly to any reporting that overlooked his contributions to the Dallas Cowboys or NFL’s success. It is fair to thoughtfully engage him as the Washington Post writers have done. The article was not a cheap shot.

What is in the Past? and What’s in the Present?

What good purpose does it serve to resurrect a picture from 65 years ago to make progress in the NFL today. Turns out there is a lot of historical and contemporary perspective that can be facilitated in the 1957 photo and Jerry Jones’s recollection of that time in history.  

What’s in the Past?

If history is important, it should be appreciated and reported accurately. Americans take pride in their history and the struggles that they have overcome. Their pride fuels patriotism and honors heroes. The 1957 photo is from a significant “battle” in the civil rights movement that provides an opportunity for all current American high school students to learn from. In the photo, black American teenagers are shown braving taunts and terror to follow thru on the promise of the 1954 Supreme Court Decision that ruled school segregation violated the constitution. They are heroes. And, it should not have been a “battle” because it took place 3 years after the landmark court decision. It is also important to note for a further understanding of the fervor and elusive nature of racism that the actions fueled by the white students that day helped to ensure that North Little Rock High School remained segregated for another 10 years.

 What’s in the Present?

Jerry Jones indicates now that his presence at that moment in history was a result of his curiosity. He relates that he was more concerned about disobeying his coach who told him and other team members to steer clear of the event. “I don’t know that I or anybody anticipated or had a background of knowing . . . what was involved,” Jones told the Post. “It was more a curious thing.” He reflects on life during this time period and notes he did not live isolated from the black community.

Was Jerry Jones an innocent bystander? Is this a case of the “Courageous and the Curious”?

 I understand that some people accept Jerry Jones’s explanation that he was in fact an innocent bystander and believe he was merely curious. However, it is hard for me to believe he was, and I’ll tell you why.

He was young but so were the black teens that he witnessed being denied access to the school he attended. Jerry Jones indicated he played pickup games with black youth.  The events of that day were not spontaneous but the confluence of a well telegraphed action resulting from the highly anticipated fallout from a Supreme Court case three years earlier. Racial slurs were flying. His coach warned him and others not to attend. By his own admission, his family’s store served black patrons. The Washington Post’s article revealed his grandfather’s association with the Capital Citizen’s Council, a notoriously racist group that fought against racial equality. Given all these circumstances, it is hard for me to accept he was a merely a curious onlooker with no clue or context. It is hard to understand how he could make the following expansive and unequivocal statements in 2022: “I don’t know that I or anybody anticipated or had a background of knowing . . . what was involved,” as he told the Post. “It was more a curious thing.” His audacity in providing that as an explanation of that photo now is striking and troubling.

Yes, this did happen 65 years ago and yes, he is not the same person he was back then. I agree with the article’s co-author, Sally Jenkins, that Jerry Jones should not be judged fully by one photo.  However, his effort to rewrite the history of that day and the time he lived in should be examined carefully. This is what he is saying now about what happened in 1957 in the comfort of his success and before an audience of witnesses whose numbers have diminished over time. He must be held accountable for the truth.

Give him Grace?

Of course, we should work to do that. However, we should also confront any effort to evade the truth. Let’s make sure Jerry Jones and America fully understands the tragic impact of the events that occurred that day in 1957 as well as the gaslighting projected in his current accounting of them. A community of Americans waited three years for justice to be delivered from a unanimous 1954 Supreme Court decision only to see it denied for their children by white teenagers who stood in their way. Six black American teenagers braved a gauntlet of racial hatred and animosity, not knowing it would take another decade to accomplish what they set out to do. Education equals opportunity. 13 years is a generation lost in education and the opportunity that it affords. Imagine if Jerry Jones were black and faced those same circumstances for the ten years that followed. A delay of such magnitude waiting for an “equal” education is far more devastating than the highly charged concerns America is currently witnessing for how or whether racism is included in education lesson plans. Imagine if Jerry Jones were to have arrived to sign the deal to buy the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 only to find a surprise, malicious lawsuit before him that ended up tanking his ability to close the deal. Give him grace but don’t give him shelter. 

What’s the problem?

As I circled back to close my thoughts on the article, I felt something was missing. I realized that while I offered my thoughts on what was right and what was wrong, I didn’t use the information to define a larger problem that could serve as a focus for developing solutions.

Here’s what I think the problem is and what efforts should focus on: Jerry Jones does not understand how his actions and perspective can stifle progress on racial equality. As a result, he is not able to adequately address racial issues because he still does not understand them well or fully acknowledge as to when or where they legitimately exist.

Listen to his benign characterization of his presence in the 1957 photo and determine what sensitivity he may have had to the anguish of black teenagers who were representative of the numerous relationships and encounters he said he had with the black community growing up.  He is quoted in the Washington Post Article saying he “got familiar

with the faces of all the people” and from that experience — and from watching his father deal with customers — gained empathy for the human condition of all races”.

Listen to him talk about his ability to see around corners, yet not appear to see gaslighting right in front of him.  Listen to him defend his dad’s advocacy of states’ rights by casting himself as a states’ rights guy in the NFL. That sounds eerily familiar to the characterization revisionist provide in respect to the cause of the civil war. “The Civil War was about states’ rights and not slavery” is still given an unfettered voice in too many American schools to somehow distance America from the cruel practice of slavery and its treacherous aftermath.

Listen to him talk about success being hard work, “requiring inordinate stuff” and that “you can’t just wait for the phone to ring” in the context of why there are not as many black head coaches in the NFL.

Listen to him tell stories about how he has hired coaches and ask him what’s in the way of him having similar relationships with black prospects that produce the results desired.  

To his credit, Jerry Jones is talking and recognizes that something is wrong. Despite not appreciating how much current conditions are tied to the racism of the past and present, he is engaged. His willingness to work with the Washington Post writers was priceless in contrast to the battle currently underway in public schools where strong attempts are being made to silence discussion. He is a leader, and he has a lot of weight on his shoulders.

This is no time for cancel culture or for labeling the people who talk about the issue of racism as instigators. Don’t give up on trying to reach Jerry Jones. He doesn’t have all the right answers. He needs help understanding some of the assumptions he makes and in recognizing the things that he overlooks. He is human. He is a smart. He knows struggle and he is resourceful. He has more in common with the black players and coaches than he realizes.  

Jerry Jones is never at a loss for providing stories to demonstrate how familiar and comfortable he was moving about the black community when he was growing up. However, his recollections highlight only one side of the story. He had the freedom to move about their world but the same was not true for them. As he recalls those times, one wishes that he would consider that the same things still go on today.

One of the best things we can do to fight racism and racial inequity is to help people understand it. Jerry Jones is a good man. Let’s help him be a better one. Too many well-meaning people of all races are vulnerable to ignorance and do not recognize the effort that must be made to keep our country moving forward.

WDG for Sapient Tide

“Wisdom not Rage”

December 2022